UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT 

ERNEST  COWAN 

SAW  CARLOS    1/O9 


1675       11 


REV.  FATIIKR  JUAN  CABALL.ERIA. 


HISTORY 


OF= 


San  Bernardino  Valley 


FROM   THE   PADRES 
TO    THE    PIONEERS 


BV 


O75BKLL-ERI75 


II-I-USTF2KTED     BV   CONSTHNCB   PKRFZIS 


COPYRIGHT  1902 
BY  REV.  FATHER  JUAN  CABALLERIA. 


TIMB8-INDKX    PRESS 
•4AN    BBRNARDIKO,     CAL.. 


i  :>:»•-: 


ai 

* 
ex* 


SK-C.J 


Table  of  Contents. 


CO 


ex: 


CHAPTER 
Introductory  ..... 

Early  Spanish  Explorers — Cabrillo         ...  -I 

Viscaino                                                    -                          -  II 

Coming  of  the  Missionaries  III 

The  Franciscans  -    IV 

Father  Junipero  Serra                                       -                       -  V 

The  Missions                                       ....  VI 

Founding  of  the  Mission  San  Gabriel  Arcangel             -  -          VII 

Politana — The  First  Christian  Settlement  in  the  Valley  VIII 

The  Patron  Saint  of  the  Valley             -  -           IX 

The  Indians                                                                  -  X 

Religious  Belief  of  the  Indians  -        XI 

Primitive  Indian  Language  XII 

Social  and  Domestic  Condition  of  the  Indians  XIII 

Indian  Ceremonies  and  Superstitions  XIV 

Building  of  San  Bernardino  Mission         -  XV- 

Secularization         -             -  XVI 

Abandonment  of  San  Bernardino  Mission  XVII 

Early  Land  Titles — Mexican  Land  Grants  XVIII 

Early  Mexican  Pioneers  XIX 

Mexican  Pioneers.      Battle  at  Chino  XX 

New  Mexican  Pioneers — La  Placita — Agua  Mansa             -  -     XXI 
New  Mexican  Pioneers — Religious,  Social  and  Domestic  Customs      XXII 

American  Colonization-«-Morman  Pioneers           -             -  XXIII 


260153 


INTRODUCTORY. 

History  may  be  compared  to  a  skein  of  tangled  threads, 
gathered  here  and  there.  After  a  time,  often  many  years, 
those  strands  are  taken  up,  straightened  and  woven  into  a 
fabric  that  may  satisfy  the  weaver — for  the  story  is  not  of 
his  day.  So,  as  the  present  weaves  the  story  of  the  past,  it 
prepares  the  web  of  its  own  story,  for  the  future  to  weave. 
The  shears  of  Atropos  never  rust. 

Tht-se  brief  chapters  of  the  history  of  San  Bernardino  Val- 
ley have  been  prepared  by  Father  Cabal  leria  with  the  sole 
purpose  of  preserving  some  historical  facts  that  are  in  dan- 
ger of  being  overlooked  and  forgotten.  The  later  days  have 
many  chroniclers,  but  of  events  prior  to  American  colonization 
nothing  has  been  written.  These  events  form  an  important 
link  in  the  historical  chain;  they  provide  a  starting  point,  be- 
yond which  there  is  no  record,  no  tradition. 

As  the  early  history  of  San  Bernardino  Valley  is  inter- 
woven with  mission  history,  it  is  well  to  outline  the  principal 
events  preceding  the  first  settlement  of  the  valley.  This  wiil 
cover  briefly  the  Spanish  occupation  of  California  and  what 
is  known  as  the  missionary  era. 

No  person  is  more  competent  to  write  of  mission  histor* 
than  Father  Caballeria.  Endowed  with  a  love  for  ancient 
historical  lore,  and  the  spirit  that  impels  men  to  search  fox 
knowledge,  he  deems  no  effort  or  labor  too  great  if  knowl 
edge  may  be  gained.  He  found  in  the  Indian  and  mission 
history  of  California  an  interesting  field  to  which  he  has  de- 


voted  much  time,  study  and  research.  His  profession  is  tho 
"open  sesame"  to  doors  sealed  to  the  average  student.  The 
faded,  musty  old  records  of  a  by-gone  age  and  generation 
•written  in  the  seclusion  of  cloistered  missions,  need  no  trans- 
lation to  tell  to  him  their  story;  for  the  language  in  which 
they  are  written  is  his  mother  tongue;  the  men  who  made 
the  early  history  of  California,  by  faith,  race  and  land  o? 
birth,  his  kindred.- 

Father  Caballeria  is  already  well  known  as  the  author  of 
several  philosophic  works  in  Spanish.  He  has  written  a  his- 
tory of  Santa  Barbara  Mission  which  has  been  translated  in- 
to English.  All  this  gives  value  to  the  work  of  his  pen  and 
is  assurance  of  a  thorough  comprehension  of  the  subject  upon 
which  he  now  writes. 

AMY  DUDLEY. 

San  Bernardino,  Cal.,  January,  1902. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  17 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  EARLY  SPANISH  EXPLORERS— CABRILLO. 

Long  before  the  caravel  of  the  first  explorer  touched  the 
western  coast  of  North  America,  marvelous  stories  had  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Spaniards  of  a  wonderful  island  lying  afar  off  in 
unknown  seas,  called  California.  In  these  stories  nothing 
was  lacking  to  excite  the  imagination  and  appeal  to  the  cu- 
pidity of  man.  It  was  said  to  be  a  land  of  enchantment,  in- 
habited by  a  race  of  people  unlike  the  Europeans,  who  lived 
in  wonderful  cities  and  were  garbed  in  raiment  glittering 
with  gold  and  precious  stones.  It  was  a  dream  of  oriental 
splendor  rivaled  only  by  the  tales  of  the  Arabian  Nights. 

These  fables  at  last  bore  fruit.  In  them  is  found  the  lur* 
that  beckoned  the  early  explorers  to  California.  In  this  re- 
spect the  history  of  the  world  reads  the  same  today  as  yester- 
day; and  though  men  follow  the  ignis  fatuus  of  personal  am- 
bition to  bitter  disappointment  and  death,  it  has  ever  served 
its  purpose  as  a  beacon  light  of  civilization.  Through  the 
selfishness  of  a  few,  in  time,  comes  the  betterment  of  many. 
In  this  m#y  be  traced  the  master  hand  of  human  destiny — 
the  Will  of  God. 

Among  the  Spaniards,  the  true  pioneers  of  the  New  World, 
the  names  of  Cortez,  Nuno  de  Guzman,  Hurtado,  Manzuela, 
Ximenes,  Alarcon  and  Coronado  are  interwoven  with  the  an- 
nals of  the  earliest  explorations  of  the  western  coast,  and  to 
the  northwest  of  Mexico.  The  colonization  of  Baja-Califor- 
nia  was  begun  as  early  as  1530.  But,  passing  over  the  his- 


18  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

tory  of  the  Spanish  conquest  and  settlements  in  North  Am- 
erica, that  of  California  begins  with  the  expedition  under 
command  of  Admiral  Juan  Rodriguez  Cabrillo. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1542,  Cabrillo  sailed  from  Navidad, 
for  the  purpose  of  discovering  "a  shorter  route,  in  a  westerly 
direction,  from  New  Spain,  or  Mexico,  between  the  North  and 
the  South  Sea."  He  was  in  command  of  two  sailing  vessels, 
the  Victoria  and  the  San  Salvador.  After  leaving  the  coast 
of  Lower  California  he  entered  the  unexplored  waters  of  the 
then  called  Mar  del  Snr.  On  the  28th  of  September  he  sailed 
into  a  harbor,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  San  Miguel,  but 
now  known  as  San  Diego  Bay.  These  were  the  first  vessels 
to  enter  the  waters  of  that  bay;  and  these  the  first  white  men 
to  set  foot  on  the  land  which  Cabrillo  named  Alta-California. 

An  account  of  this  voyage,  published  by  Juan  Paez,  is  the 
source  from  which  writers  of  history  have  drawn  their  in- 
formation. It  abounds  in  errors  and  inaccuracies  which 
make  it  difficult  to  determine  the  extent  of  the  voyage.  How- 
ever, Cabrillo  remained  at  San  Miguel  six  days.  They  landed, 
made  explorations  and  give  a  very  good  description  of  th«? 
country,  with  some  mention  of  the  Indians  inhabiting  that 
section  of  the  coast  These  Indians  are  described  as  well 
formed  and  clothed  in  the  skins  of  animals.  They  appeared 
suspicious  of  the  white  men  and  could  only  be  approached 
with  difficulty. 

About  the  10th  of  October  they  anchored  in  a  small  bay, 
now  believed  to  be  San  Pedro.  From  there  a  party  proceed- 
ed inland  some  distance,  where  they  obtained  a  view  of 
high  mountains  and  again  saw  the  Indians.  On  the  17th 
of  November,  Cabrillo  discovered  the  Bay  of  Monterey,  but 
was  unable  to  make  a  landing  on  account  of  the  roughne-ss 
of  the  sea.  He  continued  the  voyage  as  far  as  44  degrees  lat- 
itude, but  owing  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  and  the  un- 
safe condition  of  his  vessels,  he  decided  to  return  to  the  San- 
ta Barbara  Islands  and  remain  for  the  winter. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  19 

The  latter  part  of  this  voyage  was  accomplished  under 
serious  difficulties.  The  brave  commander  was  suffering 
from  severe  injuries,  the  result  of  a  fall  received  during  the 
month  of  October,  and  constant  exposure  and  lack  of  proper 
attention  caused  inflamation  whicfi  resulted  in  his  death 
January  3,  1543.  This  occurred  on  the  island  now  known  a,-? 
San  Miguel,  where  his  remains  received  burial.  The  com- 
mand of  the  expedition  devolved  upon  Lieut.  Bartolome  Fer- 
rer, who,  not  daring  to  continue  the  explorations,  returned 
to  New  Spain. 

Cabrillo  sleeps  in  an  unknown  grave,  but  history  has  buiit 
for  him  an  enduring  monument,  and  while  the  record  of  the 
deeds  of  brave  men  adorn  its  pages,  the  name  of  Cabrillo  will 
not  be  forgotten.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  qualities,  a  fear- 
less navigator  and  the  discoverer  of  Alta-California, 


20  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


CHAPTER  II. 
VISCAINO. 

Sixty  years  elapsed  before  Spain  made  any  attempt  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  work  of  discovery  and  exploration  which  the 
untimely  death  of  Cabrillo  postponed. 

On  May  1,  1603,  a  fleet  sailed  from  Acapulco  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  a  harbor  on  the  coast  of  California,  where 
vessels  engaged  in  the  Philippine  trade  could,  in  case  of  ne- 
cessity, find  shelter  and  supplies.  This  fleet  of  three  frig- 
ates, the  San  Diego,  Santo  Tomas  and  Los  Tres  Reyes,  was 
under  command  of  Admiral  Don  Sebastien  Viscaino.  On  No- 
vember 10,  they  anchored  in  the  bay  where  Cabrillo  first  land- 
ed, and  which  Viscaino  named  San  Diego  de  Alcala,  although 
Cabrillo  had  given  to  it  the  name  of  San  Miguel. 

Accompanying  this  expedition  was  a  party  of  learned  sci- 
entists sent  purposely  from  Madrid  to  take  part  in  the  explor- 
ations. They  were  under  direction  of  Fray  Antonio  de  la  As- 
cencion,  of  the  Order  of  Carmelite  Brothers.  He  had  as  as- 
sistants Fray  Andreas  de  la  Asuncion  and  Fray  Tomas  de 
Aquino.  They  were  the  first  to  make  maps  of  the  coast  and 
of  the  islands  lying  off  the  coast  of  California. 

A  knowledge  of  the  progress  of  this  expedition  may  be 
gained  by  following  the  Roman  Calendar  of  Saints.  These 
pious  fathers  not  only  made  the  maps  but  named  each  place 
visited  by  the  expedition  with  the  name  of  the  saint  whose  an- 
niversary occurred  on  the  day  of  their  arrival  at  the  place. 
California  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  these  devout  padres 
for  the  beautiful  names  bestowed  iipon  many  of  her  now  pop- 
ular pleasure  resorts  and  islands,  these  names  having  been 
retained  to  this  day. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  21 

The  expedition  visited  San  Clements  Island  November  23, 
and  on  the  25th,  Santa  Catalina  Island;  on  the  26th  they  land- 
ed at  San  Pedro;  thence  northward  to  Santa  Barbara,  arriving 
December  4,  the  anniversary  of  Santa  Barbara  day.  On  the 
8th  of  the  mouth  they  doubled  Point  Concepcion;  and  on  the 
16th  dropped  anchor  in  an  excellent  harbor  which  Viscaino 
named  Monte  Rey — king's  mountain.  Here  they  landed,  and 
beneath  the  spreading  boughs  of  a  large  oak  tree  near  the 
shore,  beside  which  bubbled  a  spring  of  clear,  cool  water,  a 
solemn  mass  was  offered  by  Fray  Ascencion.  The  rough, 
bearded  sailors  from  the  ships  knelt  in  silent  devotion  while 
the  three  priests,  in  their  sacred  vestments,  chanted  the  mass 
"In  Gratiarum  Actione,"  their  voices  uniting  and  ascending 
in  the  devout  prayer  of  thankfulness  to  God,  who  had  so  pre- 
served and  cared  for  them  amidst  the  many  perils  that  con- 
stantly surrounded  them.  It  was  an  impressive  scene.  On 
one  side  the  unbroken  solitude  of  mountain  and  the  vastness 
of  trackless  wilderness;  on  the  other  side  the  immensity  of  an 
unknown  ocean.  The  moment  was  worthy  of  immortaliza- 
tion and  one  destined  to  live  in  the  history  of  the  land. 

This  expedition  did  not  go  beyond  42  degrees  latitude.  The 
maps,  records  and  descriptions  of  the  coast,  climate  and  gen- 
eral condition  of  California  were  accepted  as  authority,  and 
thus  the  expedition  added  to  knowledge  of  the  country;  but 
aside  from  this  there  was  no  benefit  derived  and  no  practical 
use  was  made  of  the  knowledge  gained.  Although  Viscaino 
solicited  the  opportunity  of  returning  to  California,  desiring 
to  make  a  permanent  settlement  in  the  country,  no  provision 
was  made  for  that  purpose  and  he  died  with  the  hope  unful- 
filled. Spain  seemed  content  to  rest  until  the  trend  of  events 
far  in  the  future,  awoke  her  to  a  realization  of  the  value  and 
importance  of  the  rich  possessions  which  for  so  many  years 
suffered  neglect  at  her  hands. 


22  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  COMING  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES. 

In  the  Seventeenth  century  Spain  was  mistress  of  the 
•world.  Her  diplomats  were  a  power  at  every  European  court; 
her  ships  sailed  every  sea;  she  was  foremost  of  nations.  Her 
many  interests  had  so  absorbed  her  attention  elewhere  that 
the  vast  territory  of  California,  which  she  claimed,  was  appar- 
ently overlooked  or  forgotten.  This  forgetfulness,  however, 
was  only  apparent.  When  the  Russians,  coming  down  from 
their  possessions  in  the  north,  seemed  about  to  invade  the 
territory,  Spain  awoke  to  the  necessity  for  immediate  action 
and  there  was  no  hesitancy  in  asserting  her  right  of  sover- 
eignty. Carlos  III.,  then  king  of  Spain,  issued  a  royal  man- 
date commanding  Jose  de  Galvez,  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  to 
make  preparation  for  the  immediate  occupation  of  the  country. 
They  were  to  establish  military  stations  at  San  Diego  and 
Monterey — these  points,  according  to  Viscaino's  maps  being 
the  opposite  extremities  of  California. 

The  object  of  this  expedition  was  two-fold:  the  occupation 
and  colonization  of  the  country  by  Spain,  and  the  conversion 
to  Christianity  of  the  native  inhabitants. 

The  latter  undertaking  was  given  to  the  Brotherhood  of 
the  Order  of  Franciscans.  They  were  to  have  entire  control 
of  the  religious  movement,  and  the  protection  and  co-oper- 
ation of  the  military  in  furtherance  of  the  important  mission 
entrusted  to  them. 

It  was  deemed  prudent  to  have  this  expedition  consist  of 
four  divisions — two  to  go  by  land  and  two  by  sea — the  objec- 
tive point  of  all  being  San  Diego. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  23 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1769,  the  San  Carlos  sailed  from 
La  Paz.  Solemn  religious  services  preceded  the  voyage.  St. 
Joseph  was  named  as  patron  saint  of  the  expedition.  Mass 
was  celebrated  by  Father  Junipero  Serra  and  divine  blessing 
invoked  for  protection  and  guidance  to  the  ultimate  success 
of  their  undertaking.  Fifteen  days  later,  after  similar  ser- 
vices, the  San  Antonio  followed  the  San  Carlos.  Another 
ship,  the  San  Jose,  was  fitted  out  and  set  sail  on  the  16th  of 
June,  but  this  vessel  was  probably  lost  at  sea.  It  was  never 
heard  from  again. 

In  the  meantime,  the  land  expeditions  were  well  under 
way.  The  first  division,  under  command  of  Rivera  y  Moncada, 
captain  of  "soldados  de  cuera,"  was  composed  of  soldiers, 
muleteers  and  neophytes  of  the  Lower  California  Missions. 
They  took  with  them  cattle,  horses,  mules,  sheep,  and  a  sup- 
ply of  garden  seeds.  Padre  Juan  Crespi,  whose  diary  of  this 
and  later  expeditions  has  been  a  valuable  and  fertile  source 
of  information  to  historians,  accompanied  this  expedition. 

The  second  land  division  was  commanded  by  Gaspar  de 
Portala,  a  captain  of  dragoons,  who  had  been  appointed  gov- 
ernor of  Alta  California.  At  Vellicata  he  was  joined  by  the 
Venerable  Fray  Junipero  Serra,  the  Missionary  President,  who 
made  the  journey  with  them  to  the  field  of  his  future  labors. 

After  great  physical  hardships,  difficulties  and  delays, 
the  four  divisions  comprising  the  expedition  met  at  San  Diego, 
July  1,  1769.  The  last  to  arrive  was  that  of  Governpr 
Portola. 

On  the  16th  of  July,  1769,  the  mission  San  Diego  de  Alcala 
was  founded.  This  day  was  selected  as  most  appropriate,  it 
being  commemorative  of  the  Triumph  of  the  Most  Holy  Cross 
over  the  crescent  in  1212,  and  also  the  feast  day  of  Our  Lady 
Mount  Carmel.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  missionary 
work  in  California. 

After  resting  a  few  days  an  expedition  started  to  dis- 
cover the  harbor  of  Monterey,  but  failing  to  recognize  the 


24  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

place  returned  to  San  Diego  disappointed  and  disheartened. 
A  second  expedition  was  more  fortunate  and  the  desired  har- 
bor located,  all  unchanged  as  described  by  Viscaino.  Here 
was  the  mountain,  the  ravine,  the  spring  of  sparkling  water, 
the  oak  tree  under  which  so  many  years  before  Fray  Ascen- 
sion had  offered  his  mass  of  thanksgiving,  and  the  hearts  of 
the  pilgrims  leaped  with  joy  as  their  voices  shouted  the  glad 
tidings  of  recognition  and  discovery.  The  words  of  the  be- 
loved Father  Junipero  can  best  tell  the  story.  In  a  letter 
to  his  life-long  friend,  Father  Francis  Palou,  he  writes:  "On 
the  great  feast  of  Pentecost,  June  3rd,  close  by  the  same 
shore,  and  under  the  same  oak  tree  where  the  Fathers  of 
Viscaino's  expedition  had  celebrated,  we  built  an  altar,  and 
the  bell  having  been  rung,  and  the  hymn  Veni  Creator  intoned, 
we  erected  and  consecrated  a  large  cross,  and  unfurled  the 
royal  standard,  after  which  I  sang  the  first  mass  which  is 
known  to  have  been  sung  at  this  point  since  1603.  I  preached 
during  the  mass,  and  at  its  conclusion  we  sang  the  "Salve 
Regina.'  Our  celebration  terminated  with  the  singing  of  the 
Te  Deum;  after  which  the  officers  took  possession  of  the  land 
in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain.  During  the  celebration  a 
salute  of  many  cannons  was  fired  from  the  ship.  To  God 
alone  be  honor  and  glory." 

Thus  was  founded,  on  June  3,  1770,  the  Mission  of  San 
Carlos  Borromeo,  the  second  of  the  missions  of  California. 

Messengers  were  at  once  dispatched  to  carry  the  glad  tid- 
ings to  the  City  of  Mexico.  The  occupation  of  California  by 
Spain  Was  considered  complete. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  25 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  FRANCISCANS. 

The  history  of  the  world  can  show  no  nobler  efforts  in 
the  work  of  civilizing  savage  races  than  that  put  forth  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  in  North  America.  Perfection  is 
not  of  earth.  Living  up  to  a  high  ideal,  and  entire  and  un- 
failing devotion  to  duty  may  so  purify  and  strengthen  the 
soul  of  man  as  to  enable  him  to  overcome  many  inherent  ten- 
dencies and  weaknesses,  but  it  will  not  immediately  eradicate 
them.  The  missionaries  may  oftentimes  have  erred  through 
a  mistaken  sense  of  duty,  but  their  mistakes  were  rather 
those  of  the  time  in  which  they  lived,  and  were  brought  about 
by  conditions  from  which  they  themselves  suffered.  In  the 
main,  their  lives  were  heroic  in  devotion  to  duty  and  sacri- 
fice of  self.  No  hardship  was  too  great  and  no  personal  dis- 
comfort ever  considered  or  permitted  to  stand  in  the  way  of 
the  work  to  which  their  lives  were  consecrated.  They  pene- 
trated the  wilds  of  the  great  Northwest;  they  tramped  bare- 
footed and  alone  over  the  barren  waste  of  desert  in  the  South; 
no  tribe  of  Indians  too  remote  or  too  savage  for  their  minis- 
try; even  though  in  going  they  knew  they  were  facing  almost 
certain  death,  and  death  in  its  most  horrible  form.  Such 
were  the  men  who  planted  the  cross  on  the  Western  Contin- 
ent; such  the  men  selected  to  Christianize  Alta-California. 

The  Franciscans  held  high  place  among  the  religious  or- 
ders of  that  time.  Their  founder,  St.  Francis,  was  born  in 
the  village  of  Assissi,  Italy,  in  1182.  In  early  manhood, 
after  prolonged  meditation  on  the  evil  and  sins  of  life,  he 
sold  all  his  possessions,  gave  the  proceeds  to  the  church  and, 
renouncing  the  world,  became  a  religious  devotee.  Clad  in 


26        HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY  . 

the  roughest  clothing,  he  went  about  performing  acts  of  char- 
ity and  mercy,  literally  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  Di- 
vine Master.  Soon  his  devotion  attracted  the  attention  of 
ohers,  who,  joining  him,  endeavored  to  emulate  him  in  his 
good  works.  In  1209  the  religious  order  of  Franciscans  was 
organized,  and  though  the  regulations  and  discipline  of  this 
order  were  most  severe  and  trying,  they  rapidly  increased  in 
numbers.  The  death  of  St.  Francis  occurred  in  1226,  and  his 
canonization  in  1228.  In  less  than  fifty  years  the  order  num- 
bered over  two  hundred  thousand  members,  and  had  estab- 
lished many  schools  and  colleges. 

Spain  reposed  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  Order  of  Fran- 
ciscans. Their  work  in  California  started  under  most  favor- 
able auspices.  They  had  figured  in  every  conquest  Spain  had 
made  and  were  active  in  promoting  the  Catholic  faith  in  the 
new  lands.  Among  their  numbers  were  men  of  high  eccle- 
siastical and  political  standing,  and  in  beginning  their  work 
in  California  they  brought  to  bear  a  direct  influence  with  the 
Spanish  crown,  and  a  power  was  given  them  granted  to  no 
other  religious  order  of  that  period. 

The  Franciscan  Missions  in  Mexico  had  prospered  in  every 
way.  The  Franciscan  missionaries  were  men  of  marked  execu- 
tive ability.  They  were  experienced  in  the  work  and  well  able  to 
cope  with  any  difficulty  that  might  confront  them  in  the  new 
field  of  labor  about  to  be  opened. 

In  taking  up  the  work  in  Alta-California,  these  mis- 
sionaries brought  minds  single  to  one  purpose,  and  that  pur- 
pose the  sowing  of  the  seed  of  Christianity.  If  they  succeeded 
in  their  undertaking  the  wealth  and  honors  were  always  for 
the  order;  the  individual  reaped  neither  material  gain  nor 
glory.  The  life  of  every  missionary  was  one  of  toil,  priva- 
tion and  danger;  his  hopes  were  not  for  earthly  riches;  his 
reward,  that  which  surely  comes  to  all  who  labor  unselfishly 
for  the  good  of  humanity. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  £7 


FATHER  JUNIPERO  SERRA. 


28  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER  V. 
FATHER  JUNIPERO  SERRA, 

Father  Junipero  Serra,  the  first  Apostle  of  Christianity  to 
Alta-California,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Petra,  in  the  island 
of  Mallorica,  November  24,  1713.  His  parents  were  of  the 
poorer  class  of  people,  but  mindful  of  the  advantages  of  relig- 
ious training,  early  instilled  in  the  mind  of  their  son  the 
principles  which  governed  his  after  life.  His  quickness  of 
perception  attracted  the  attention  of  the  priests  of  his  na- 
tive city,  who  encouraged  the  lad  by  teaching  him  Latin  and 
to  sing.  fLater,  he  entered  the  college  of  San  Bernardo  de 
Palma,  where  he  advanced  rapidly  in  all  his  studies.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  he  donned  the  habit  and  took  the 
vows  of  the  Franciscan  Brotherhood,  determined  even  then  to 
become  a  missionary  and  devote  his  life  to  the  saving  of  sav- 
age souls. 

In  the  meantime,  in  obedience  to  the  desires  of  his  su- 
periors, he  took  up  the  study  of  theology  and  philosophy  and 
became  an  instructor  in  those  branches,  his  learning  obtain- 
ing for  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  His  discourses 
attracted  much  comment  and  large  audiences  greeted  him 
whenever  he  spoke  publicly;  but  in  spite  of  the  flattering  at- 
tention of  his  numerous  admirers,  his  desire  to  devote  him- 
self to  missionary  work  did  not  lessen.  His  faith  and  pa- 
tience was  at  last  rewarded.  On  the  23th  of  August,  1749, 
in  company  with  his  lifelong  friend  and  brother  priest,  Father 
Francisco  Palou,  he  Bet  sail  from  Cadiz,  Spain,  for  America. 
After  a  long,  tempestuous  voyage,  and  much  suffering  from 
sickness,  they  arrived  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  from  there  went 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  29 

to  the  mission  of  Sierr  a  Gorda,  in  the  north  of  Mexico,  where 
he  had  been  assigned  for  duty,  arriving  January  1,  1750.  There 
he  lived  and  taught  nine  years.  His  mission  work  prospered 
and  he  was  soon  able,  with  the  help  of  his  Indian  neophytes, 
to  build  a  new  church,  which  was  the  admiration  of  the 
whole  country.  He  learned  the  language  of  the  Indians; 
taught  them  to  build  houses,  sow  grain,  prepare  clothing,  and 
in  all  ways  advanced  them  far  on  the  road  to  civilization. 

Leaving  the  peaceful  misteion  he  went  to  the  city  of 
Mexico  and  while  there  learned  of  the  need  of  a  miss'onarv 
to  go  among  the  treacherous  Apache  Indians  in  the  Northwest. 
Though  going  meant  almost  certain  death,  he  volunteered  his 
services.  Circumstances,  however,  prevented  the  sacrifice  on 
his  part,  and  the  next  seven  years  were  passed  in  the  City  of 
Mexico  preaching  the  gospel  and  converting  many  sinners  to 
Christianity. 

His  energy,  zeal  and  untiring  devotion  to  the  faith  emi- 
nently fitted  him  for  the  great  work  to  which  he  was  chosen 
— that  of  President  in  charge  of  the  mission  of  Alta-Califor- 
nia. 

All  unsolicited  the  call  came  to  him  and  though  it  found 
him  miles  away  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  he  was  ready 
for  it  and  made  immediate  preparation  for  his  journey.  Owing 
to  a  badly  ulcerated  leg  he  was  not  able  to  start  until  March 
28,  1769,  eighteen  days  behind  the  expedition  under  the  com- 
mand of  Governor  Portola,  whom  he  overtook  at  the  fron- 
tier. Traveling  so  aggravated  the  swelling  on  his  leg  that  he 
could  proceed  only  through  great  suffering.  He  was  re- 
peatedly urged  to  abandon  the  journey,  but  insisted  on  going 
forward  with  the  expedition,  saying  that  he  "had  put  his  faith 
in  God  and  if  He  willed  that  he  should  die  among  savages  he 
was  content."  Father  Junipero's  abiding  faith  in,  and  trust 
in  Divine  guidance,  brought  him  through  the  difficult  journey, 
and  his  faith  and  trust  was  amply  rewarded. 

Combined  with  his  faith  was  a  belief  that  he  was  the 


30 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


instrument  chosen  by  God,  and  under  Divine  direction,  for  the 
prosecution  of  the  work  in  Alta-California.  Though  phy- 
sically weak  and  suffering  in  health,  this  belief  filled  his  soul 
with  sublime  inspiration  and  he  entered  upon  his  labors  fully 
alive  to  their  importa  nee,  with  a  spirit  imbued  with  energy 
and  determination  to  bravely  meet  all  difficulties,  and,  with 
the  help  of  God,  to  overcome  all  obstacles  in  the  path  to  suc- 
cess. He  lived  to  see  the  mission  system  well  established  and 
many  natives  converted  to  Chritianity.  He  fell  asleep  in  the 
Lord,  passing  from  life  peacefully  at  his  mission  of  San  Car- 
los, August  28,  1784,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  31 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  MISSIONS. 

When  the  Franciscans,  under  the  able  leadership  of  Jun- 
ipero  Serra,  arrived  in  California,  their  first  work  was  to  se- 
lect locations  for  the  missions  which  they  were  instructed  to 

establish.  To  this  en  d,  expeditions  were  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exploring  the  country  between  San  Diego  and  Mon- 
terey. It  was  their  plan  to  have  these  missions  situated  not 
more  than  one  day's  journey  from  each  other.  This  was  in 
order  to  afford  mutual  protection  in  case  of  attack  from  In- 
dians, and  also  to  lessen  the  fatigue  to  travelers  on  the  long 
journey  between  missions  situated  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  each  other. 

The  missions  were  usually  located  in  close  proximity  to 
some  01  the  numerous  Indian  rancherias  where  there  was  to 
be  found  an  abundance  of  water.  The  consent  of  the  Indians 
would  first  be  obtained  and  then  the  work  of  building  the  mis- 
sion begun.  First,  an  enramada  of  green  boughs  was  pre- 
pared as  a  place  for  holding  temporary  religious  services.  Af- 
ter arranging  an  improvised  altar  the  bells  would  be  swung 
from  the  branches  of  some  near-by  tree,  and  then  ringing 
them  to  call  the  soldiers,  the  ceremony  of  consecration  took 
place.  The  soldiers  formed  themselves  into  a  square  about 
the  padres  and  waited  the  raising  of  the  cross.  The  won- 
dering natives,  in  the  background,  gazed  in  awe  on  the 
strange  proceedings  and  watched  until  their  close.  The 
padre,  in  snowy  alb  and  stole,  advanced  and  invoked  the 
blessing  of  God  on  the  work  about  to  commence,  and  with 
the  chanting  of  the  hymn  the  cross  was  raised.  After  this 


32  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

ceremony,  mass  was  celebrated  at  the  altar,  and  with  the 
singing  of  the  "Te  Deum  Laudamus,"  the  services  ended.  The 
military  ceremonies  then  followed  and  consisted  in  unfurling 
the  royal  standard  and  formally  taking  possession  of  the 
country  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  Spain. 

Temporary  shelter  was  next  prepared  and  the  work  of 
erecting  permanent  buildings  begun.  The  church,  naturally, 
was  considered  of  principal  importance  and  received  the 
greatest  attention.  It  usually  occupied  a  commanding  po- 
siton.  Then  came  the  buildings  for  the  padres,  soldiers  and 
Indian  neophytes.  Whatever  material  was  conveniently  at 
hand  was  used  for  the  buildings,  consequently  some  were  of 
stone  and  others  of  sun-baked  brick  or  adobe.  They  were 
built  around  a  hollow  square,  inclosing  the  court-yard,  into 
which  all  the  buildings  opened.  (New  buildings  were  added 
from  time  to  time  as  work-shops  for  the  different  trades  es- 
tablished at  the  missions. 

The  missions  were  conducted  on  the  patriarchal  plan.  The 
inmates  lived  as  one  large  family,  their  interests  general  and 
identical.  Separation  of  the  sexes  was  rigidly  enforced  from  the 
beginning.  A  "majordomo,"  usually  a  soldier,  was  appoint- 
ed to  take  charge  of  the  men.  The  women  occupied  a  por- 
tion of  the  building  called  the  "monjerio"  and  were  carefully 
watched  over  by  "la  maestra,"  the  wife  of  a  soldier,  or  some 
old  Indian  woman,  who  guarded  her  charges  with  the  utmost 
vigilance.  After  arriving  at  a  proper  age  they  were  permitted 
to  marry.  The  padres  endeavored  to  teach  the  Indians  of 
both  sexes  the  sanctity  of  the  marriage  relation,  and  to  thus 
lay  the  foundation  of  the  family  among  them.  After  mar- 
riage provision  was  made  for  them  outside  of  the  mission 
buildings,  and  villages  of  natives  governing  themselves  soon 
became  a  part  of  the  mission  system. 

While  in  the  missions  the  Indians  were  taught  the  various 
domestic  arts.  The  men  learned  trades  and  to  plant  and 
harvest  crops  of  grain  and  vegetables.  As  vaqueros  they 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY ,  33 

have  never  been  excelled.  The  women  were  taught  to  weave, 
sew  and  spin.  The  Indians  had  some  natural  skill  at  dye- 
ing and  were  taught  to  weave  blankets  from  native  wool,  on 
looms  set  up  at  the  missions.  So  skilled  did  they  become  In 
this  art  that  the  missions  furnished  all  the  blankets  used  in 
the  country  after  1797.  Hemp  was  ulso  raised  and  used. 

Mission  life  was  one  of  industry.  At  day-break  the 
whole  place  was  awake  and  preparing  for  labor.  After  at- 
tending mass,  the  first  meal  of  the  day  was  served.  This 
usually  consisted  of  "atole,"  or  ground  barley,  a  staple  article 
of  food  at  the  missions.  The  noonday  meal  consisted  of 
atole  accompanied  with  mutton  in  some  form  and  an  occas- 
ional addition  of  frijoles.  At  five  o'clock  the  evening  meal 
was  served.  The  Indians  were  always  allowed  to  bring  to 
their  tables  nuts  and  wild  berries.  At  sunset  the  Angelus 
called  to  prayers  and  benediction,  after  which  all  retired  to 
their  respective  quarters.  The  working  hours  at  the  missions 
were  from  four  to  six  hours  for  a  day's  labor.  Not  more 
than  half  the  Indians  were  employed  at  the  same  time. 

The  mission  Indian  was  naturally  docile  and  submissive. 
After  a  few  years  of  training  at  the  mission,  the  unclothed, 
degraded  savage,  living  a  life  of  sloth  and  immorality  was 
transformed  into  an  industrious  Christian  with  fair  ideas  of 
religion  und  morality  . 


34  HISTOKY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY , 


CHAPTER  VII. 
FOUNDING  OF  THE  MISSION  SAN  GABRIEL  ARCANGEY,, 

San  Gabriel  was  the  fourth  mission  to  be  built  in  Alta- 
California — the  others,  San  Diego,  Monterey  and  San  Antonio. 

This  mission  was  founded  on  the  8th  of  September,  1771, 
It  is  still  in  a  very  good  state  of  preservation.  It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  of  the  mission  buildings  now  existing.  In  material 
prosperity  it  was  second  only  to  San  Luis  Rey  mission. 

Many  romantic  tales  are  told  of  the  mission  of  San  Ga- 
briel— most  of  them  having  little  or  no  foundation  in  fact,  and 
therefore  without  historical  value. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  1771,  Fathers  Pedro  Cambon  anc! 
Angel  Somera,  with  an  escort  of  ten  soldiers,  left  San  Diego 
for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  mission  to  be  dedicated  to  San 
Gabriel  Arcangel.  After  traveling  forty  leagues  and  making 
several  explorations  they  selected  a  place  about  ten  miles  east 
of  where  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  Was  afterwards  built.  The 
Indians  in  the  vicinity  were  inclined  to  resent  the  coming  of 
the  Spaniards  and  made  some  warlike  demonstrations ;  where- 
upon one  of  the  padres  unfurling  a  banner  bearing  a  represen- 
tation of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  held  it  up  before^the  natives. 
Upon  beholding  this  picture,  the  Indians  fell  upon  their  knees, 
laid  down  their  weapons  and  brought  gifts  of  beads  and  shell? 
which  they  laid  before  the  banner  in  token  of  submission. 

After  the  customary  ceremonies  of  the  raising  of  the  cross, 
work  was  commenced  on  the  temporary  buildings.  The  native,;! 
seemed  anxious  to  take  part  in  the  work  and  rendered  material 
assistance  to  the  soldiers  in  preparing  shelter.  The  location 
of  the  mission  however,  did  not  prove  satisfactory,  and  a  new 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .  35 

site  was  selected,  about  one  mile  from  the  original  location. 
After  making  arrangements  with  the  natives  occupying  the 
place,  the  mission  waa  removed  to  the  site  it  now  occupies. 

The  material  progress  of  the  mission  of  San  Gabriel  was 
assured  from  the  beginning,  and  after  the  first  few  years,  the 
spiritual  progress  was  equally  marked.  From  1771  to  1831, 
the  mission  records  show  the  baptism  of  7,709  persons;  5,4«4 
burials,  and  1,877  marriages.  In  1817  the  mission  had  a  pop- 
ulation of  1701  souls. 

Important  industries  were  established  in  this  mission  to 
teach  the  Indians  useful  trades.  A  shoe-shop,  soap  factory, 
and  carpenter  shop  gave  constant  employment  to  the  natives 
while  others  operated  a  saw.mill  and  a  grist-mill.  The  re- 
mains of  the  latter  building,  "el  Molino,"  are  still  visible 
There  was  an  extensive  vineyard  planted,  and  the  San  Gabnel 
wines  and  brandies  were  famous  throughout  the  territorr. 
Vast  herds  of  cattle  and  horses  roamed  the  plains,  and  a  tan- 
nery converted  the  hides  into  leather  from  which  was  made 
shoes,  saddles  and  other  articles,  besides  exporting  large  quan- 
tities of  tallow  and  many  hides.  A  most  wonderful  cactus 
hedge  was  planted  by  Father  Jose  Maria  Zalvidea  in  1809,  a 
portion  of  which  still  remains  and  excites  the  wonder  of  the 
tourist  visiting  the  mission. 

The  mission  is  an  imposing  structure.  In  dimensions  it  is 
about  138  feet  in  length  and  30  feet  in  height.  The  walls 
and  foundation  of  masonry,  are  five  feet  thick  and  as  firm  as 
solid  rock.  The  interior  has  been  somewhat  changed  from  the 
original  by  enlarging  the  windows  and  replacing  the  arched 
roof  with  timbers  heavy  enough  to  assist  in  preserving  the 
building  and  rendering  it  secure  from  possible  damage  through 
earthquake,  from  which  it  once  suffered  severely. 

Many  articles  of  interest  still  remain  in  this  mission.  The 
ancient  pictures  of  the  Apostles  and  saints  have  been  restored 
and  are  now  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  A  very 
ancient  baptismal  font  brought  from  Spain  still  serves  the 


36  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

needs  of  the  present  generation,  while  censers  and  other  ves- 
sels of  copper  of  the  same  age  claim  the  attention  of  the  vis- 
itor to  the  historic  place. 

One  of  the  most  familiar  of  the  pictured  mission  represen- 
tations is  the  belfry  of  San  Gabriel.  It  was  originally  intend- 
ed for  six  bells,  though  bnt  four  remain.  Two  of  these  bell* 
are  much  older  than  the  others;  one  dedicated  to  the  Blessed, 
Virgin  is  without  date;  another  bears  date  of  1828;  that  of  a 
third,  "A.  D.,  '95,"  and  the  other  1830. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  37 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  FIRST  CHRISTIAN  SETTLEME  NT  IN  THE  VALLEY- 
POLITANA. 

The  missionaries  not  only  contemplated  the  conversion 
and  civilization  of  the  Indians  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  missions,  but  aimed  to  reach  out  into  the  surrounding 
country  and  enlarge  the  radius  of  work  until  the  whole  terri- 
tory came  within  the  boundaries  of  some  one  or  other  of  the 
missions. 

As  soon  as  a  mission  was  established,  expeditions  were 
sent  out  into  the  adjoining  territory  to  make  surveys  and  to 
ascertain  the  names  of  the  different  tribes,  or  rancherias,  and 
the  number  of  Indians  inhabiting  that  section  of  the  country. 
As  rapidly  thereafter  as  possible  the  padres  founded  "asisten- 
cias,"  or  branch  chapels,  at  locations  not  too  far  distant  from 
the  mission,  making  them  dependencies  of  the  different  mis- 
sions. )Los  Angeles,  Puente,  San  Antonio  de  Santa  Ana  and 
San  Bernardino  all  came  within  the  jurisdiction  of  San  Ga- 
briel mission. 

The  history  of  San  Bernardino  Valley  begins  with  the 
coming  of  the  missionary  priests  into  the  valley. 

In  1774,  Juan  Batista  de  Anza,  Captain  of  the  Presidio  of 
Tubac,  was  directed  by  the  viceroy  to  open  a  road  betwee» 
Sonora  in  Mexico  and  Monterey  in  California.  He  came  from 
the  Colorado  River  to  San  Gabriel  across  the  desert  froim 
southeast  to  northwest,  by  a  route  practically  the  same  as  that 
afterwards  followed  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway — by  the 
way  of  Yuma,  San  Gorgonio  Pass  and  through  San  Bernardin* 
Valley. 


260153 


38  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

The  Anza  expedition  was  an  extensive  outfit — 240  persons,  men,  wom- 
en and  Indians,  and  1050  beasts.  They  entered  the  valley  on  the  1 5th 
of  March.  Tney  gave  to  San  Gorgonia  Pass  and  San  Timeto  Canon  the 
name  Puerto  de  San  Carlos  or  St.  Charles  Pass.  San  Bernardino  valley 
was  called  valle  de  San  Joseph,  and  Cucuamunga,  Arroyo  de  los  Osos 
or  Bear  Gulch. 

San  Gabriel  mission  became  an  important  stopping  place 
on  the  road,  and  the  first  place  where  supplies  could  be  pro. 
cured  after  crossing  the  desert.  In  the  course  of  time,  as 
travel  over  this  road  increased,  it  was  arranged  to  establish 
a  supply  station  at  some  intermediate  point  between  the  mis- 
sion and  the  Sierras  on  the  north,  in  order  to  lessen  the  hard- 
ship of  this  journey  by  providing  travelers  with  a  place  where 
they  could  rest  and  obtain  food. 

With  this  object  in  view,  a  party  of  missionaries,  soldiers 
and  Indian  neophytes  of  San  Gabriel  mission,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Padre  Dumetz,  were  sent  out  to  select  a  location.  OB 
the  20th  of  May,  1810,  they  came  into  the  San  Bernardino 
Valley.  This,  according  to  the  Roman  Calendar  of  Saints, 
was  the  feast  day  of  San  Bernardino  of  Sienna  and  they  namea 
the  valley  in  his  honor. 

They  found  here  an  ideal  location.  The  valley  was  well 
watered  and  luxuriant  with  spring-time  verdure.  It  might  be- 
come to  the  weary  traveler  a  perfect  haven  of  rest.  The  In- 
dian name  of  the  valley,  Guachama,  when  translated,  signined 
"a  place  of  plenty  to  eat."  The  Indians  inhabiting  this  sec- 
tion of  the  valley  were  known  as  Guachama  Indians  and  had 
here  a  populous  rancheria.  A  number  of  other  rancherias 
were  scattered  throughout  the  valley,  each  bearing  a  name  sig_ 
niflcant  of  the  place  where  it  was  situated.  Many  of  the 
names  were  retained  by  settlers  of  a  later  day  and  applied  to 
ranches  granted  by  the  government.  These  Indian  names 
make  a  very  interesting  study.  Those  near  San  Bernardino 
Valley,  are  as  follows: 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  39 

San  Bernardino — Guachama — A  place  of  plenty  to  eat. 

Cucamonga — Cucamungabit— Sand  place. 

Riverside — Jurumpa — Water  place. 

San  Timoteo  (Redlands) — Tolocabit — Place  of  the  big 
head. 

Homoa — Homhoabit — Hilly  place. 

Yucaipa — Yucaipa — Wet  lands. 

Muscupiabe — Muscupiabit — Pinon  place. 

The  supply  station  was  located  at  the  Guachama  ranch- 
eria,  which  was  near  the  place  now  known  as  Bunker  Hill,  be- 
tween Urbita  Springs  and  Colton.  The  location  was  chosen 
on  account  of  an  abundance  of  water  in  that  vicinity.  Here 
;i  "capilla"  was  built,  which  was  dedicated  to  San  Bernardino, 
the  patron  saint  of  the  valley.  After  completing  the  building 
of  the  station  the  padres  returned  to  San  Gabriel  leaving  the 
chapel,  station  and  a  large  quantity  of  supplies  in  charge  of 
neophyte  soldiers,  under  command  of  a  trustworthy  Indian 
named  Hipolito.  The  settlement,  or  rancheria  of  mission  In- 
dians, taking  its  name  from  this  chief  became  known  as  Po- 
litana. 

During  the  next  two  years  the  padres  made  frequent  vis- 
its to  the  capilla;  the  Guachama  Indians  were  friendly;  grain 
was  planted  and  the  settlement  seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  per- 
manent prosperity. 

The  year  1812,  known  in  history  as  "el  ano  de  los  tera- 
blores,"  (the  year  of  earthquakes),  found  the  valley  peaceful 
and  prosperous — it  closed  upon  the  ruins  of  Politana.  The 
presence  of  the  padres  and  Christian  neophytes  among  the 
gentile  Indians  of  the  valley  had  been  productive  of  good  re_ 
suits  and  many  of  them  became  converted  to  Christianity. 
When  the  strange  rumblings  beneath  the  earth  commenced 
and  frequent  shocks  of  earthquake  were  felt,  the  effect  was 
to  rouse  the  superstitious  fears  of  the  Indians.  The  hot  springs 
of  the  valley  increased  in  temperature  to  an  alarming  ex- 


40  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

tent;  a  new  "cienegata"  or  hot  mud  spring,  appeared  near 
Poll  tana,  (now  called  Urbita.)  This  so  excited  the  Indians 
that  by  direction  of  the  padres  the  spring  was  covered  with 
earth,  hoping  to  thus  allay  their  fears.  These  hot  springs 
were  regarded  by  the  Indians  with  superstitious  veneration. 
They  were  associated  with  their  religious  ceremonies  and 
were  known  to  them  as  medicine  springs.  When  these  changes 
became  so  apparent  they  were  filled  with  apprehension  of 
danger  bordering  on  terror.  This,  accompanied  by  the  fre- 
quent shocks  of  "temblor,"  so  worked  upon  their  superstitious 
natures  that,  looking  for  a  cause,  they  came  to  believe  it  was 
the  manifestation  of  anger  of  some  powerful  spirit  displeased 
at  the  presence  of  the  Christians  among  them.  Desiring  to 
appease  this  malevolent  deity  and  avert  further  expression  01 
his  displeasure,  they  fell  upon  the  settlement  of  Politana, 
massacred  most  of  the  mission  Indians  and  converts  and  de- 
stroyed the  buildings. 

The  Guachamas  rebuilt  the  rancheria  and  inhabited  it 
until  long  after  the  decree  of  secularization.  A  few  Indians 
remained  there  at  date  of  American  colonization,  and  older 
settlers  of  the  country  retain  a  recollection  of  the  rancheria 
of  Politana.  As  the  country  settled  the  Indians  decreased 
in  numbers  and  dispersed;  the  few  miserable  habitations  fell 
into  decay,  and  there  is  now  no  trace  of  the  rancheria,  ex- 
cept as  the  plow  of  the  rancher  may  occasionally  bring  to 
the  surface  a  piece  of  tile,  sole  relic  of  the  first  Christian  set- 
tlement in  San  Bernardino  Valley. 

Very  few  descendants  of  the  early  Guachama  Indians  re- 
main. Here  and  there  may  be  found  one  understanding  the 
language  and  somewhat  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  tribe. 
The  Indians  now  living  in  the  valley  are  principally  of  the 
Cahuillas — originally  belonging  to  San  Luis  Rey  mission — 
and  of  the  Serranos,  or  mountain  tribes.  These  Indians  have 
intermarried  and  the  language  spoken  is  a  mixture  of  dialects. 


42  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


THE  PATRON  SAINT  OF  THE  VALLEY. 
CHAPTER  IX. 

From  the  earliest  dawn  of  civilization  men  and  women 
who  have  devoted  their  lives  to  the  betterment  of  humanity 
have  been  awarded  the  respect  and  gratitude  of  the  whole 
world.  The  pages  of  history  are  filled  with  names  of  men 
who  have  been  potent  factors  in  the  advancement  of  the 
world  through  the  different  branches  of  learning,  of  arts  and 
of  science.  These  names  arc  immortalized  because  the  men 
who  bore  them  bequeathed  something  of  worth  to  the  race, 
something  which  left  imprinc  upon  the  history  of  the  world. 
Their  words  and  deeds  are  imperishable  and  will  endure  as 
long  as  the  human  race  enduies.  Who  studies  philosophy  and 
forgets  the  names  of  Cicero,  Seneca,  Socrates  and  Plato?  Who 
reads  of  war  and  conquest  and  sees  not  the  names  of  Han- 
nibal, Alexander,  Caesar,  Napoleon,  Washington  and  Bolivar? 
Who  studies  the  masterpieces  of  poetry  and  fails  to  find  Ho- 
mer, Anacreon,  Virgil,  Dante,  Milton?  Who  opens  the  pages 
of  the  history  of  early  Christianity  and  reads  not  of  St  Au- 
gustine, St.  Anselm,  St.  Thomas  and  Santa  Teresa,  and  other 
zealous  workers,  who  constituted  the  bulwark  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

jit  is  the  custom  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  from 
early  times,  to  canonize  those  men  and  women,  who,  through 
sublime  acts  of  faith,  devotion  and  self-sacrifice,  performed 
valuable  and  heroic  service  for  the  cause  of  Christianity.  It  is 
not  for  the  commendation  of  the  world.  It  is  a  recognition 
•>f  the  worth  and  work  of  the  noble  sons  and  daughters  of 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


41 


The  burial  place  of  the  Christian  Indians  of  San  Bernar- 
dino Valley  was  at  Politana.  Until  brought  under  the  influence 
of  the  missionaries  they  cremated  their  dead,  burning  not  only 
the  body  but  all  of  the  belongings    of  the  deceased.      The 
padres  taught  them  the  rites  of  Christian  burial.      This  ceme- 
tery was  to  them  a  sacred  spot,  a  place  of  veneration.      It  was 
used  by  the  Indians  of  the  whole  valley  until  comparatively 
recent  years.      The  place  where  it  was  situated  is  now  on  the 
left  side  of  the  new  electric  railway  as  it  turns  north  from 
Colton  on  Mt  Vernon  Avenue,  but  no  trace  of  this  cemetery 
remains.      JAs  settlers  came  into  the  valley  their  greed  tor 
possession  of  land  did  not  spare  the  Indian  burial  place;  the 
graves  were  leveled  and  the  land  placed  under  cultivation.      A 
thriving  orange  grove  now  blossoms  and  bears  its  treasure  of 
golden  fruit  over  the  crumbling  bones  of  a  dead  and  forgotten 
generation.       But  they  sleep  none  the  less  peacefully,  even 
through  the  land  where  their  forefathers  roamed  free  and  un- 
tramelled,  and  of  which  they  were  the  sole  and  original  own- 
ers,  denies  them  a  place  of     undisturbed     sepulchre.       Los 
muertos  con  la  corrupcion  de  sus  cuerpos  alimentan  ahora  lus 
arboles  que  dan  fruto  para  los  vivos;  solo  su  espiritu  se  halla 
elevado  sobre  la  materia  y  goza  de  la  immortalidad.      "Quia 
Dominus  dedit  eis  lumen  ut  viderent  eum." 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  43 

the  church  who,  having  passed  to  their  eternal  reward,  need 
not  the  praise  of  the  multitude;  but  the  church,  desiring  to 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  deeds,  inscribes  their  names 
upon  her  calendar  of  saints  that  they  may  be  kept  before  the 
world  as  examples  worthy  of  emulation  and  remembrance. 

San  Bernardino  was  born  'at  Sienna,  Italy,  on  the  20th  of 
May,  1382.  It  was  a  time  of  severe  affliction.  Bigotry  and 
infidelity  had  corrupted  the  minds  of  men;  and  blasphemy  was 
carried  even  to  the  extent  of  denying  the  divinity  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Saviour  of  mankind.  France,  Spain,  Italy  and 
other  countries  suffered  from  persecution  directed  against  the 
church.  Sacred  buildings  were  desecrated  and  destroyed;  po- 
litical factions  were  arrayed  against  each  other  in  bitterest 
dissension,  and  the  whole  of  Europe  on  the  verge  of  warfare. 

When  San  Bernardino  arrived  at  manhood  he  warmly  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  church  and  dedicated  his  life  to  tho 
service  of  Christianity.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  intellec- 
tual ability,  a  powerful  speaker  and  a  logical  and  forceful 
writer  of  theological  works.  His  sermons,  still  preserved,  are 
considered  among  the  treasures  of  church  literature.  Gifted 
with  the  power  of  eloquence,  like  St.  Paul,  he  went  from  town 
to  town  throughout  the  land  preaching  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  *  He  was  instrumental  in  overcoming  the  spirit 
of  blasphemy  and  in  bringing  peace  to  the  church.  Three 
times  he  was  offered  a  bishop's  mitre  as  a  reward  for  his 
services,  but,  deeming  it  better  to  serve  the  cause  through 
evangelical  labors,  he  declined  all  honors  that  he  might  con- 
tinue his  efforts  without  the  responsibilities  attached  to  so 
high  an  office.  San  Bernardino  died  at  the  city  of  Aquila 
in  1448;  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  and  his  name  was  after- 
wards placed  on  the  calendar  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church 
AS  a  Saint  of  God. 

It  is  not  to  be  marveled  at  that  the  padres  coming  into 
this  beautiful  valley  in  the  month  of  May — when  Nature,  rer- 
eling  in  luxuriance  of  vegetation  had  clothed  the  foothills  and 


44 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


plain  with  gorgeous  vegetation  and  bloom — should  rejoice  and 
find  pleasure  in  bestowing  upon  the  earthly  paradise  the  name 
of  San  Bernardino.  It  is  small  wonder  if  they  saw  in  the 
smiling  heavens  the  beautiful  azure  skies  of  Italy;  or  if  the 
balmy  air  reminded  them  of  the  caressing  breezes  of  the  sun- 
nr  land  across  distant  seas.  And  so  the  name  San  Bernardino 
of  Sienna  has  a  peculiar  fitness  to  the  place  and  remains  as  a 
happy  inspiration  of  the  padres — the  first  white  men  to  set 
foot  within  the  beautiful  valley. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .  45 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  INDIANS. 

.Writers  of  early  California  history  generally  characterize 
the  type  of  Indian  inhabiting  the  country  at  the  coming  of 
the  Spaniards  as  stupid,  brutish  and  utterly  lacking  in  intel- 
ligence. Father  Venegas,  one  of  the  earliest  writers,  says  of 
them:  "Even  in  the  least  frequented  corners  of  the  globe  there 
is  not  a  nation  so  stupid,  of  such  contracted  ideas,  and  weak 
both  in  body  and  mind,  as  the  unhappy  Californians.  Their 
characteristics  are  stupidity  and  insensibility,  want  of  knowl- 
edge and  reflection,  inconstancy,  impetuosity,  and  blindness 
to  appetite;  an  excessive  sloth  and  abhorrence  of  fatigue  or 
every  kind,  however  trifling;  in  fine,  a  most  wretched  want  ot 
everything  which  constitutes  the  real  man  and  renders  him 
rational,  inventive,  tractable,  and  useful  to  himself  and  so- 
ciety." 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  the  fifty  years  following  the 
advent  of  the  missionaries  demonstrated  the  fact  that  these 
Indians  were  capable  of  civilization.  Under  the  tutelage  of 
the  padres  they  developed  wonderfully.  Without  the  help  of 
the  Indians  the  material  progress  of  the  missions  would  have 
been  impossible.  The  padres  were  the  directing  minds;  but 
the  unskilled  hands  of  the  Indians  built  the  mission  struc- 
tures, the  ruins  of  which  are  still  the  wonder  and  admiration 
of  all  who  visit  them.  With  their  help,  vast  tracts  of  land 
were  brought  under  cultivation;  they  constructed  'a  system  oi 
irrigation;  planted  orchards  and  vineyards;  manufactured 
many  articles  of  domestic  use,  and  accomplished  much  that 
would  have  been  considered  extremely  difficult  among  racas 


46  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

farther  advanced  in  civilization. 

But  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  native  Indians  were  low 
in  the  scale  of  humanity.  They  were  wholly  unlike  the  East- 
ern Indians.  They  lacked  the  social  organization  of  the 
Ilieblos.  There  were  no  powerful  tribes  among  them,  as  the 
Sioux  of  the  north  and  the  Apache  of  th^  southwest.  Their 
settlements,  or  rancherias,  were  independent  of  each  other. 
Each  rancheria  had  a  name  of  its  own,  and  a  different  lan- 
guage was  spoken,  the  inhabitants  of  one  ranch eria  many 
times  being  unable  to  understand  the  language  of  another. 

The  Indians  of  San  Bernardino  Valley  differed  in  no  re- 
spect from  those  of  other  portions  of  California.  The  early 
missionaries  found  in  the  valley  six  Indian  rancherias.  Af- 
ter the  Indians  had  become  converted  to  Christianity,  and  the 
padres  were  able  to  estimate  their  numbers,  they  found  each 
rancheria  contained  from  two  to  three  hundred  people.  This 
estimate  would  show  about  fifteen  hundred  people  inhabiting 
San  Bernardino  Valley. 

Their  dwellings  were  circular  in  form.  They  were  built 
from  poles  stuck  in  the  earth  and  bending  over  at  the  top  to 
form  the  roof.  This  was  covered  with  brush,  tules  and  mud, 
leaving  at  the  top  an  aperture  to  allow  the  smoke  to  escape. 
They  were  similar  in  construction  and  appearance  to  the  Nav- 
ajo  "tehogane"  of  the  present  day. 

The  early  Indians  did  not  cultivate  the  soil.  They  sub- 
sisted upon  wild  roots,  herbs,  nuts,  field  mice,  worms,  lizards, 
grasshoppers  and  other  insects,  birds,  fish,  geese,  ducks  ana 
small  game.  The  flesh  foods  were  consumed  raw  or  only 
slightly  cooked.  They  were  very  fond  of  acorns,  which,  dur- 
ing their  season,  were  gathered  in  large  quantities.  These 
were  often  prepared  by  grinding  in  mortars  or  on  stone  slabs 
similar  to  the  Mexican  "metate."  They  were  sometimes 
placed  in  woven  baskets  of  reeds,  and  boiled  in  water  heated 
with  hot  stones,  then  kneaded  into  a  dough  and  baked  on  hot 
stones  in  front  of  a  fire.  A  small,  round  seed,  called  "chia," 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


47 


was  also  used.  This  was  prepared  by  drying  and  making 
into  a  flour  called  "atole."  Their  subsistence  was  often  very 
precarious  and  their  habits  somewhat  migratory,  going  from 
place  to  place  in  search  of  their  food  supply,  which  varied 
with  the  season  of  the  year. 

In  personal  appearance  the  California  Indians  were  not 
prepossessing.  There  was  little  physical  beauty  among  them. 
They  were  undersized,  broad-nosed,  with  high  cheek  bones, 
wide  mouths  and  coarse  black  hair.  Their  personal  habits 
were  uncleanly.  Their  clothing  extremely  scanty;  that  of 
the  men  "in  naturalibus,"  but  the  women  partially  covered 
themselves  with  skirts  of  woven  grass  reaching  from  the 
waist  to  the  knees.  They  were  fond  of  ornaments  of  various 
kinds  and  decorated  their  faces  and  bodies  with  paint,  often 
in  a  most  grotesque  manner. 

Upon  the  coming  of  the  Americans  they  were  classed 
without  distinction  under  the  term  "Diggers." 


48  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  RELIGIOUS  BELIEF  OF  THE  INDIANS. 

,In  studying  the  history  of  a  people  the  point  first  taken 
into  consideration  is  their  religion.  By  that  standard  the  in- 
tellectual development  of  the  race,  nation  or  tribe  is  meas- 
ured andi  determined.  This  will  apply  to  the  higher  forms 
of  civilization  as  well  as  to  the  lowest  fetish  worshipers. 
With  the  first  light  of  intelligence  the  savage,  conscious  of 
the  unknown  which  surrounds  him,  builds  a  shrine  to  some 
vaguely  comprehended  power  which  he  personifies  in  his  im- 
agination and  clothes  with  attributes  which  seem  to  him  su- 
perior. This  he  calls  his  God.  His  mind  can  comprehend 
nothing  better  or  more  powerful  than  this  deity.  It  is  the 
summit  of  his  intellectual  capacity. 

The  Indians  of  San  Bernardino  Valley  had  a  crude  form 
of  religious  belief.  It  was  similar  to  that  of  other  native 
tribes  of  Southern  California,  Their  beliefs  differed  some- 
what according  to  locality.  They  were  never  thoroughly  un- 
derstood. The  Padres  were  so  zealously  engaged 
in  teaching  the  natives  the  Christian  religion  that  they  gave 
practically  little  attention  to  beliefs  previously  existing  among 
them;  and  as  the  Indians  had  neither  writings,  pictured  repre- 
sentations or  records  of  any  description,  the  origin  and  growth 
of  their  religious  ideas  is  lost  in  obscurity. 

This  much,  however,  is  known:  The  early  Indians  were 
not  idolaters.  Their  religion  might  properly  be  termed  a 
form  of  Manicheism.  They  worshiped  both  the  good  and  the 
evil  principle.  The  latter,  typified  by  the  coyote,  was  evi- 
dently considered  the  more  powerful,  as  their  dances  and  re- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          49 

ligious  ceremonies  were  generally  propitiatory  and  usually 
in  honor  of  the  evil  one,  the  object  being  to  placate  him  au<l 
avert  the  consequences  of  his  displeasure. 

According  to  the  belief  of  the  Indians  of  San  Bernardino 
Valley,  the  god  Mutcat  created  the  earth,  the  sea  and  'all  tue 
animals,  birds,  fishes,  trees,  and  lastly  man.  Then,  desiring 
to  view  the  work  of  his  hands,  he  descended  from  his  heavenly 
abode  of  Tucupac,  to  visit  Ojor,  the  earthly  creation.  Wishing 
to  express  his  satisfaction  and  still  further  beautify  the  earth 
he  gave  to  man  the  various  seeds,  plants  and  flowers.  Know- 
ing that  in  employment  man  finds  happiness,  he  taught  them 
to  build  their  houses  and  the  many  arts  whereby  they  might 
pass  their  time  in  contentment  and  usefulness. 

For  a  period  of  time  all  was  peace  and  serenity.  Men 
lived  together  in  brotherly  love  and  harmony  and  no  discord 
came  among  them  in  their  relations  with  one  another.  The 
earth  yielded  fruit  in  abundance  to  supply  all  their  needs, 
and  no  want  of  man  was  unsatisfied.  Earth  was  itself  a 
paradise  inferior  only  to  the  abode  of  the  god  Mutcat,  and 
death  had  never  entered  to  bring  sorrow  and  separation  to 
mankind. 

Unfortunately  the  peace  was  broken.  Isel,  the  evil  god, 
became  envious  of  the  happiness  of  men  and  set  about  devis- 
ing means  to  accomplish  their  downfall  and  destruction.  He 
caused  death  to  come  into  the  world,  brought  famine  and  pes- 
tilence and  sowed  the  seed  of  discord  among  men.  But  as 
Isel  was  moved  solely  by  envy,  it  was  believed  his  anger 
could  be  appeased  and  favor  obtained  through  gifts  of  food, 
chanting,  dances  and  feasts  in  his  honor. 

On  the  other  hand,  Mutcat,  the  spirit  of  good,  was  ever 
solicitous  for  the  welfare  of  his  earthly  children.  Observing 
the  faithfulness  of  men,  and  their  affliction,  he  directed  them 
to  increase  their  number,  and  promised  that,  though  they  must 
first  die,  after  death  they  should  be  admitted  into  his  paradise 
of  Tucupac  where  the  dominion  of  the  wicked  Isel  would 


50  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

cease  and  he  could  not  follow  and  could  no  longer  work  them 
harm. 

This  was  the  foundation  of  the  Indian  religious  belief. 
The  whole  fabric  was  woven  around  these  incidents. 

Each  tribe  had  its  sorcerers  or  medicine  men.  They  were 
the  guardians  of  the  traditions  of  the  tribe,  directed  all  cere- 
monies and  were  regarded  with  superstitious  awe  on  account 
of  the  mysterious  supernatural  powers  that  they  claimed  to 
possess.  Every  lancheria  had  a  place  for  religious  ceremonies 
where  incantations  and  secret  rites  wert  performed.  The 
sorcerers  were  more  powerful  than  the  chiefs,  who  yielded 
obedience  to  them.  They  claimed  to  cure  disease,  bring  rain, 
ward  off  misfortune  and  were  called  upon  to  decide  all  matters 
of  importance  pertaining  to  the  tribe  or  rancheria. 

The  missionaries  experienced  the  greatest  difficulty  in  ov- 
ercoming the  evil  influence  of  the  sorcerers.  They  were  us- 
ually vicious  men  steeped  in  vileness,  wickedness  and  duplic- 
ity. They  naturally  resented  the  interference  of  the  padres 
and  exerted  all  their  influence  to  keep  the  Indians  under  their 
own  control.  Thus,  the  teaching  of  Christianity  while  work- 
ing great  moral  good  to  the  Indians,  could  not  immediately 
overcome  and  eradicate  this  superstitious  fear  of  the  medi- 
cine man.  Their  influence  was  everywhere  apparent  and 
came  to  be  dreaded  by  the  Indians  as  well  as  disliked  by  the 
padres.  In  hidden  recesses  of  the  mountains,  far  away  from 
the  missions,  the  padres  often  discovered  shrines  erected  for 
the  worship  of  the  coyote,  and  evidence  of  their  continued 
use.  The  poor,  weak  nature  of  the  Indian,  while  honestly 
embracing  the  new  belief,  could  not  rise  above  a  feeling  of 
timidity,  and  this  prompted  him  to  secretly  steal  away  with 
some  propitiary  gift  to  the  evil  deity  whose  vengeance  he  still 
feared.  Though  in  time  Christianity  predominated  among 
them  and  most  of  the  old  rites  passed  away  and  were  for- 
gotten, the  Indian  was  never  completely  free  from  supersti- 
tion. Even  to  this  day,  whoever  can  gain  the  confidence  of 


HISTORY  OF  SAN    BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


51 


the  Indian  sufficiently  to  study  his  characteristics  and  learn 
his  true  nature,  finds — in  spite  of  Christianizing  influences 
and  the  years  of  contact  with  civilization — there  still  remains 
curiously  intermixed  with  their  modern  religious  belief  some 
of  the  ancient  superstitions  of  their  savage  ancestors  of  gen- 
erations long  past.  Et  sic  quia  quod  non  venit  ex  natura 
"turarura." 


52  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  PRIMITIVE  INDIAN  LANGUAGE  OF  SAN  BERNAR- 
DINO VALLEY. 

The  grammatical  construction  and  peculiarities  of  the 
Indian  language,  as  preserved  by  the  padres,  cannot  fail  to 
be  interesting  to  students  of  philology.  The  Smithsonian  In- 
stitute has  attempted  to  gather  up,  classify  and  preserve  these 
early  records,  but  the  work  is  one  of  Herculean  proportions. 

Father  Lasuen,  successor  to  Father  Junipero  Sierra  as 
missionary  President,  states  in  a  letter  that  there  were  no 
less  than  seventeen  different  languages  spoken  by  the  natives 
between  San  Diego  and  San  Francisco.  This  does  not  take 
into  account  the  various  dialects.  Every  rancheria  had  ai> 
idiomatic  language  of  its  own,  which  was  frequently  unintelli- 
gible to  the  neighboring  rancherias,  perhaps  separated  only 
by  a  few  miles.  These  dialects  could  hardly  be  dignified  by 
the  name  of  language. 

One  of  the  first  tasks  of  the  missionaries  was  to  familiar- 
ize themselves  with  the  native  language  and  to  teach  to  the 
Indians  the  Spanish  language.  Until  this  was  accomplished 
the  work  of  Christianizing  them  could  not  begin.  The  var- 
iance in  the  language  of  the  Indians  added  in  no  small  degree 
to  the  difficulties  encountered,  'and  to  overcome  them  required 
minds  schooled  to  the  mastery  of  patience,  with  an  abiding 
faith  that  the  end,  however  remote,  would  fully  justify  the  day 
of  small  beginnings.  This  was  the  spirit  that  animated  the 
padres  and  gave  such  marvelous  success  to  their  onter pi isp. 

For   example,   three   distinctly  separate     languages   were 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  53 

spoken  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Gabriel  Mission.  The 
Qulchi  language  was  spoken  by  the  Indians  of  Los  Angeles, 
San  Gabriel  and  as  far  east  as  Cucamonga.  Another  language 
was  spoken  all  along  the  Santa  Ana  River  and  in  Orange 
County,  while  the  language  of  the  Guachama  was  spoken  by 
the  Serrano  tribes,  among  whom  were  the  San  Bernardino 
Indians. 

The  Guachama  language  was  gutteral  and  principally  mon. 
osyllabic.  The  orthography,  recorded  by  the  padres,  is,  of 
course,  phonetic.  In  analogy  the  nouns  formed  plural  by  pre- 
fixing the  word  "nitchel."  The  conjugation  of  the  Guachama 
verbs  is  exactly  the  same  as  in  other  Indian  languages  of 
Southern  California.  Pronouns,  and  the  different  tenses  of 
the  verb  are  also  expressed  by  prefixes. 

The  system  of  numeration,  like  other  mission  Indian  lan- 
guages, counts  only  to  five.  The  number  with  the  prefix  one 
(con)  is  repeaed  to  express  six,  seven,  etc. 

Vocabulary  of  the  Guachama,  the  language  of  the  tribe  of 
Indians  located  in  the  San  Bernardino  Valley: 

NOUNS. 

Man — nejanis  Woman — nitchul. 

Father — jana.  Son — mailloa 

Daughter — pullen.  Sister — nau. 

Brother — lua.  Friend — nlquiliuj. 

Enemy — panajanucan.  Head — toloea. 

Eyes — japus.  Mouth — tama. 
Hand — jamma.  Foot — jai. 

Sun — tamit.  Moon — mannuil. 

Mountain — temas.  River — uanish. 

Tree — paus.  Water — pal. 
Fire — cut.  Stone — cauix. 

Night — tuporlt  House — jaqui. 

Bow — yujal.  Arrow — penyugal.  „ 

Rabbit — tabut  Cold — yuima. 
Name — esen. 

ADJECTIVES. 

Good — utcha.  Bad — eleculx. 

Small — cum.  Large — lul. 


54 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


NUMERALS. 


One — supli. 
Three — pa. 
Five — namacuana. 
Seven — conuil. 
Nine — conuitchu. 


I — nehe. 
He — pe. 
You — eheh. 


To  eat — gua. 
To  cook — culcu. 
To  walk — ••nacaix. 
To  wish — nacocan. 
To  rain — nenix. 
To  fight — nucan. 
To  cure — tinaich. 
To  be — yanash. 


Nearer — sunchi. 
Tomorrow — paix. 
Not — quihi. 
Plenty — chama. 


Two— uiL 
Four — uitchu. 
Six — consupli. 
Eight — conpa. 
Ten — namachuma. 


PRONOUNS. 


Thou — eh. 
We — chem. 
They — pehem. 


VERBS. 


To  drink — paca. 
To  sleep — culca. 
To  wash — paixjanx. 
To  have — nauca. 
To  be  sick — mucal. 
To  paint — piecuaquis. 
To  give — anaixgam. 


ADVERTS. 


Today — iach. 
Yesterday — tacu. 
Many — meta. 


PRESENT. 


Conjugation    of    the    verb 


Example  of  conjugation: 

Tculcu  (to  cook). 

I  cook — neheculcu.  Thou  cookest  or  you  cook — ehculcu. 

He  cooks — peculcu. 

We  cook — chemculcu.  You  cook — ehehculcu. 

They  cook — pempemculcu. 


PAST. 


I  cooked — tocu  neheculcu. 
cooked — tocu  eh  culcu. 

He  cooked — tocu  peculcu. 

You  cooked — tocu  ehehculcu. 
•nlcu. 


Thou  cooke-st,  or  you 


We  cooked — tocu  chemculcu. 
They  cooked — tocu  pempemc 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  55 

FUTURE. 

I  shall  cook — paix  neheculcu.     Thou  wilt  cook,  or  you  will 
cook— ;.-uix  ehculcu. 

He  will  cook — paix  peculcu.     You  will  cook — paix  ehehculcu. 

They  will  cook — paix    pempemculcu.      We  will  cook — paix 
chemculcu. 

The  Lord's  Prayer  in  the  Guachama  language  is  used  as 
•a  specimen  of  the  work  performed  by  the  padres.  Having  no 
word  in  Indian  to  express  God,  the  Spanish  Dios  is  used.  The 
same  applies  to  the  word  pan  (bread).  The  staple  article  ot 
food  among  the  Indians  was  acorns.  Not  wishing  to  ask  f->r 
acorns  the  Spanish  word  is  substituted  to  give  the  idea  oi  the 
article  asked  for. 

THE  LORD'S  PRAYER  IN  INDIAN. 

Dios  Janna  penyanash  Tucupac  santificado  ut  cha    et  en 
pennacash  toco  jahi  cocan  najanis  Tubuc  aix. 

Guacha  pan  meta  tamepic  penaixjan  chemyanaix  ut  cha 
panajanucan  quihi  elecui  suyu  Amen. 


56  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  SOCIAL  AND  DOMESTIC  CONDITION  OF  THE  EARLY 
INDIANS  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

After  the  coming  of  the  padres  the  tribes  of  Indians  al! 
over  California  were  given  Spanish  names;  these  names  gen- 
erally applying  to  the  part  of  the  country  which  they  inhab- 
ited. The  Guachama  and  other  Indians  living  in  S'an  Bernar- 
dino Valley,  became  known  as  Serrano  Indians,  the  name  Ser- 
rano signifying  of  the  mountains.  The  Indians  known  'as 
I  the  Cahuillas  came  into  the  valley  at  a  later  date,  having  orig- 
inally belonged  to  the  country  around  San  Luis  Rey  Mission. 
Other  tribes  contiguous  to  the  valley  were  the  Piutes,  Chime - 
huevas,  Mohave  and  Yumas;  the  first  frequenting  the  desert 
north  of  the  Sierras,  and  the  other  tribes  inhabiting  the  des- 
ert and  country  all  along  the  Colorado  River.  The  Yunva 
and  Mohave  Indians  are  of  a  race  superior  in  many  ways  to 
the  California  Indians.  They  are  more  intelligent  and  more 
warlike,  and  were  ever  a  menace  to  the  peace  of  the  valley 
and  in  their  frequent  raids  a  constant  source  of  disturbance  to 
the  natives  of  the  valley. 

The  Indians  of  California  were  not  united  either  socially 
or  politically.  Their  rancherias  were  independent  of  each 
other,  they  spoke  different  idioms,  though  often  related,  and 
sometimes  banding  together  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  raid 
on  or  defending  themselves  against  some  other  tribe.  They 
were  sometimes  friendly,  sometimes  hostile  to  each  other,  but 
could  never  be  relied  upon. 

The  Indians  were  not  endowed  with     personal  courage. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.         57 

They  were  cowardly  in  battle,  and  consequently  a  few  soldados 
•de  cuera  were  able  to  control  a  large  community  and  could 
easily  bring  them  into  subjection  in  case  of  an  uprising.  Their 
weapons  were  bows  and  arrows,  spears  and  a  rude  kind  of  stone 
knife.  This  further  placed  them  at  a  disadvantage  in  at- 
tempting to  cope  with  the  white  men. 

Each  community  was  governed  by  a  chief,  called  by  the 
Spaniards,  "el  capitan."  The  office  of  chief  was  usually  her- 
editary. The  chief  was  generally  respected  and  his  com- 
mands obeyed  without  question.  When  war  against  a  neigh- 
boring rancheria  was  contemplated  the  tribe,  and  their  allies, 
If  there  was  combination,  gathered  together,  when  the  chiefs 
would  state  the  grievance,  and  after  certain  ceremonies  and 
incantations  the  matter  would  be  decided  according  as  the 
sorcerers  found  in  favor  or  otherwise.  In  battle  there  was 
no  concerted  action.  Each  chief  assumed  leadership  of  his 
own  band  and  fought  or  ran  away  as  the  impulse  moved  him 

The  Indians  soon  learned  their  independent  rights  accord- 
ing to  the  ideas  of  the  white  men.  Several  instances  are  re- 
lated where  the  Indians  demanded  certain  things  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  the  justice  of  their  demands  conceded,  by  their 
requests  being  granted. 

The  marriage  customs  of  the  Indians  were  similar  to  that 
of  uncivilized  people  all  over  the  world — that  is  to  say,  they 
had  no  ceremony  of  marriage,  though  marriage  was  recog- 
nized. Sometimes,  if  the  parties  were  of  sufficient  importance, 
a  feast  was  prepared.  In  all  cases  the  daughter  was  subject 
to  the  command  of  the  father  and  was  usually  bought  and  sold 
without  regard  to  her  own  preferences  or  desire.  The  price 
paid  varied  according  to  the  desirability  or  the  girl  and  the 
ability  of  the  purchaser  to  pay.  There  were  occasions  when 
marriage  by  capture  was  resorted  to.  This  was  when  the 
woman  belonged  to  some  other  tribe,  or  when  obstacles  were 
in  the  way  to  other  possession. 

The  birth  of  the  first  child  was  made  occasion  for  rejoic- 


58  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

ing.  Sterility  was  deplored  as  a  great  misfortune.  The  ma- 
ternal instinct  was  very  strong  in  the  Indian  mother  and  the 
children  were  invariably  treated  with  much  affection.  The 
infant  was  carried  in  a  rude  basket  "cuna"  strapped  upon  the 
back  of  the  mother,  and  thus  encumbered  she  attended  to  the 
usual  labor  of  gathering  and  preparing  food  for  the  family. 
The  life  of  the  Indian  woman  was  one  of  toil  and  privation, 
and  she  received  little  consideration  at  the  hands  of  her  sav- 
age lord.  The  men  were  notoriously  idle  and  lazy,  their  only 
occupation  that  of  hunting  small  game  and  fishing.  Their 
food  supply  of  acorns,  when  gathered,  was  prepared  by  crush, 
ing  in  stone  mortars,  or  on  flat  stones,  after  the  manner  now 
in  vogue  among  the  Mexicans.  This  converted  the  nuts  into  a 
meal  from  which  was  made  "atole."  It  was  sometimes  pre- 
pared by  boiling  in  water  heated  with  hot  stones.  The  women 
were  expert  in  the  making  of  cunningly  woven  baskets.  These 
were  of  different  shapes  and  were  used  for  all  domestic  pur- 
poses. 

Polygamy  was  common  among  many  of  the  tribes,  Out 
there  were  exceptions  to  the  practice.  Adultery  was  sometimes 
punished,  but  gross  immoralties  and  vices  were  prevalent 
among  them  and  their  moral  condition  was  unaccountably  de- 
graded. 

These  marriage  ties  were  not  considered  binding  and  rep- 
aration or  divorce  was  easily  obtained  by  consent  of  parties 
interested. 

This,  in  brief,  covers  the  social  and  domestic  condition  of 
the  Indians  of  San  Bernardino  Valley,  and  of  California,  Mor- 
ally, intellectually  and  physically  they  were  the  inferiors  of 
any  race  of  natives  on  the  North  American  continent.  Tnat 
the  missionaries  accomplished  their  work  with  these  Indians 
and  brought  them  to  a  degree  of  civilization  is  little  less  than 
marvelous. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          59 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
INDIAN  CEREMONIES  AND  SUPERSTITIONS. 

The  subject  of  Indian  ceremonies  and  superstitions,  when 
approached  in  a  spirit  of  honest  investigation  and  not  of  mere 
curiosity,  is  one  of  great  interest. 

No  race  or  people  can  be  declared  entirely  free  from  super- 
stitious beliefs,  and  a  very  little  inquiry  will  show  that  super- 
stitious beliefs  are  not  so  exclusively  confined  to  the  ignorant 
as  many  suppose.  If  verification  of  this  statement  is  needed 
it  can  be  readily  found  in  any  community,  and  the  seeker  will 
further  discover  that  superstitious  beliefs  are  surprisingly 
prevalent  among  educated  men  and  women.  The  spirit  which 
moves  the  untutored  savage  to  seek  the  sorcerer,  prompts 
members  of  the  higher  civilized  race  to  invest  in  "charms," 
"fortune-telling"  and  divination  of  various  kinds,  while 
"signs"  and  omens  innumerable  are  observed  to  the  ultimate 
of  "reductio  ad  absurdum."  In  view  of  these  facts  it  is  not 
becoming  to  treat  the  subject  of  Indian  ceremonials  and  super- 
stitions with  contempt. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  Indian  dances  it  is  certain  that 
the  Indians  never  did,  and  do  not,  indulge  in  their  dances  for 
the  mere  pleasure  of  dancing.  Their  dances  always  signify 
something,  though  the  meaning  is  often  too  obscure  and  dif- 
ficult for  white  men  to  determine.  Survivals  of  ancient  cere- 
monial dances  are  still  common  among  certain  tribes  of  semi- 
civilized  Indians.  In  some  instances  the  government  has  at- 
tempted to  suppress  the  dances,  but  with  indifferent  results. 
The  so-called  ghost-dance  of  the  Northern  Indians  is  looked 


60  mSTOEY  OF  SAN  BERNAEDINO  VALLEY. 

upon  by  white  men.  as  premonitory  of  approaching  trouble, 
and  as  indicating  a  state  of  unrest  and  dissatisfaction  among 
the  Indians.  The  Indian  tribes  living  along  the  Columbia 
River  indulge  in  a  wlerd  kind  of  dance  with  the  idea  of  pro- 
pitiating the  spirit  believed  by  them  to  rule  the  winter.  This 
dance  is  called  the  Chinook-dance  and  is  exceedingly  barbar- 
ous and  revolting  on  account  of  self-inflicted  torture.  The 
Moki  Indians  of  the  Arizona  desert  have  several  interesting 
tribal  dances.  Their  periodical  Snake  dance  has  received  much 
attention  and  is  a  religious  ceremonial  which  the  Moki  Indian? 
firmly  believe  produces  rain.  In  early  times  the  Indians  of 
Northern  California  indulged  in  a  very  grotesque  dance  called 
the  Dance  of  Death,  which  has  been  graphically  described  by 
the  missionaries. 

The  time  set  for  ceremonial  dances  and  feasts  was  always 
fixed  by  the  sorcerers,  in  whom  the  Indians  placed  the  most 
implicit  confidence.  Seldom  an  undertaking  of  any  kind  was 
entered  into  without  first  invoking  the  aid  of  supernatural 
powers,  and  this  was  always  done  by  feasting  and  dancing. 
The  ceremonies  often  lasted  a  number  of  days  and  nights. 
Those  taking  part  in  the  dances  made  elaborate  preparations 
by  decorating  their  bodies  with  different  colored  paints  and 
donning  ceremonial  costumes.  In  some  tribes  the  women  and 
men  danced  together,  in  others  only  the  men  danced,  while 
the  women  would  form  a  circle  outside  by  themselves.  Some  of 
the  old  men  and  women  of  the  tribe,  seating  themselves  in  a 
circle  accompanied  the  dancers  with  a  peculiar  chant,  others 
at  the  same  time,  playing  on  bone  flutes  and  beating  rude 
drums.  The  dancing  was  often  indulged  in  to  the  point  of 
extreme  exhaustion,  the  dancer  falling  to  the  ground  insensi- 
ble. 

Among  the  principal  dances  of  the  Indians  of  San  Bernar- 
dino Valley  were  those  known  as  the  Hawk-Feast,  the  Dance 
of  Peace,  the  Dance  of  Plenty,  the  Dance  of  Victory,  and  the 
Dance  of  Deprecation.  Another  of  their  peculiar  ceremonial 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  61 

dances  was  designated  by  the  padres  as  "tatamar  ninas"  or 
"roasting  young  girls."  This  custom  filled  the  padres  with 
great  horror  and  they  made  every  effort  to  induce  the  Indians 
to  abandon  the  practice.  The  ceremony  of  "tatema"  took 
place  upon  the  first  evidence  of  maturity.  A  hole  was  dug 
in  the  ground  and  filled  with  stones  previously  heated  in  the 
fire  until  very  hot  Over  this  was  spread  a  covering  of  leaves 
and  branches  and  the  girl  laid  upon  it  and  then  nearly  covered 
with  heated  earth.  The  result  was  a  profuse  perspiration 
which  was  kept  up  for  twenty-four  hours  and  sometimes 
longer.  At  intervals  the  girl  was  taken  out,  bathed  and  again 
imbedded  in  the  earth.  During  the  whole  time  constant  dan- 
cing and  chanting  was  kept  up  by  young  girls,  attended  by 
hideously  painted  old  women  who  had  charge  of  the  ceremon- 
ies. At  the  close,  a  great  feast  was  prepared  in  which  all 
joined  and  which  lasted  several  days  and  nights.  The  girl 
was  then  considered  ready  for  marriage,  which  usually  took 
place  soon  after. 

The  Dance  of  Deprecation  took  place  when  a  member  or 
the  tribe  fell  sick  with  some  unusual  disease.  The  disease  was 
always  attributed  to  the  influence  of  an  evil  spirit.  The 
whole  tribe  would  assemble  each  person  bringing  a  food  offer- 
ing, and  all  the  gifts  were  placed  in  a  large  basket  The  dan- 
cing would  then  begin.  Significant  words  were  chanted  by 
the  women,  children  and  old  men,  while  the  younger  men  kept 
up  the  dance  in  the  ordinary  way  beating  time  with  arrows. 
After  awhile  the  sorcerer  would  arise  and  present  the  offering 
to  the  supposed  offended  spirit  In  making  the  offering  he 
moved  from  left  to  right,  and  then  in  a  circle,  all  the  time 
mumbling  mysterious  words.  During  the  time  the  sorcerer 
was  engaged  the  people  observed  complete  silence.  At  the 
close  of  the  ceremony  the  dance  broke  up.  The  offerings 
would  be  cooked  and  left  until  the  following  day.  This  act 
was  believed  to  appease  the  evil  spirit  whose  baneful  influence 


62  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

would  then  be  removed  and  the  sick  person  allowed  to  recover 
in  the  usual  way. 

The  Indians  looked  upon  their  medicine  men  as  beings  en- 
dowed with  superior  knowledge  and  skill  in  the  art  of  healing. 
The  medicine  men  practiced  their  art  through  mystical  incan- 
tations and  also  used  various  herbs,  balsams  and  healing 
leaves,  to  effect  their  cures.  When  a  person  was  taken  sick 
the  medicine  men  were  always  called.  They  approached  the 
patient  with  an  air  of  solemn  mystery,  and  after  diagnosing 
the  case  and  locating  the  pain  proceeded  to  work  a  cure.  The 
principal  point  was  to  first  impress  the  patient,  and  those 
around  him,  with  their  importance,  and  in  order  to  do  this 
incantations,  passes,  contortions  and  gesticulations  were  made 
by  the  medicine  men,  after  which  it  would  sometimes  be  an- 
nounced that  the  disease  was  due  to  some  extraneous  matter, 
whereupon  one  of  the  medicine  men  would  apply  his  lips  to 
the  affected  part  and  soon  produce  the  alleged  cause  of  the 
disease.  This  cause  was  usually  a  stick,  stone,  thorn,  flint  or 
piece  of  bone.  The  patient  often  experienced  immediate  re- 
lief and  a  marvelous  cure  followed.  There  is  no  doubt  out 
some  vei-y  wonderful  cures  were  effected  in  this  way.  Modern 
materia  medica  admits  the  potency  of  the  imagination  as  a  fac- 
tor in  both  the  cause  and  cure  of  diseases. 

The  Indians  of  San  Bernardino  Valley  were  fully  aware 
of  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  hot  springs  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  valley.  They  regarded  these  springs  with  much  ven- 
eration and  believed  them  to  be  a  cure  for  many  diseases.  The 
springs  were  also  visited  frequently  by  Indians  from  a  distance. 

The  "temescal"  or  sweat-house  was  another  mode  of  cur- 
ing diseases  among  the  Indians,  and  it  was  also  used  by  In- 
dians in  good  health.  These  sweat-houses  were  built  by  first 
excavating  the  earth  to  some  depths  for  a  foundation,  then 
building  above  it  a  hut  and  covering  the  exterior  with  mud 
until  it  resembled  a  huge  mound.  A  hole  was  left  at  the 
bottom  barely  sufficient  to  allow  a  person  to  crawl  in  and  out 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  63 

of  the  hut.  Light  and  air  was  almost  entirely  excluded.  In 
the  center  a  great  fire  would  be  built,  around  which  the  Indians 
would  sit  or  lie  stretched  upon  the  ground.  Here  they  would 
stay  until  nearly  suffocated  and  in  a  profuse  perspiration, 
when  they  would  climb  out,  make  a  wild  dash  to  the  nearest 
stream  of  cold  water  and  plunge  into  it.  In  many  instances 
this  heroic  treatment  was  very  successful,  but  in  some  sick- 
ness, like  small-pox,  it  was  quite  likely  to  prove  fatal. 

The  Indians  of  San  Bernardino  Valley  burned  their  dead. 
Their  method  of  cremating  was  similar  to  that  employed  by 
the  desert  Indians  of  the  present  day.  As  soon  as  death  oc- 
curred, material  was  collected  and  a  funeral  pyre  built.  Around 
this  the  family  of  the  deceased  and  members  of  the  rancheria 
gathered,  the  body  was  brought  forth  and  placed  on  the  pile 
and  the  fire  would  be  lighted  by  one  of  the  sorcerers.  Ail 
clothing,  utensils  and  other  articles  used  by  the  deceased  was 
burned  with  the  body.  Oftentimes  the  house  where  the  de- 
ceased had  lived  and  the  domestic  animals  belonging  to  him 
were  burned  in  the  same  way.  The  women  were  especially 
demonstrative  on  these  occasions,  their  mournful  wails  and 
lamentations,  continuing  for  several  days  and  nights,  could  be 
heard  a  long  distance  away. 

The  early  Indians  did  not  eat  the  flesh  of  large  game. 
This  came  from  a  superstitious  belief  that  the  bodies  of  the 
larger  animals  contained  the  souls  of  departed  ancestors.  This 
same  superstitious  belief  was  held  among  the  Mission  Indians 
even  after  they  had  learned  to  use  some  of  the  larger  domestic 
animals  for  food,  and  they  could  seldom  be  induced  to  eat 
pork.  If  a  wild  animal  devoured  a  dead  body  it  was  believed 
the  soul  of  the  deceased  was  then  compelled  to  take  up  its 
habitation  in  the  body  of  the  animal.  This  belief  was  not 
that  of  palingenesis  as  held  by  ancient  races,  but  rather  an 
idea  arising  among  themselves  without  theory  or  rational  reas- 
on to  give  for  the  belief. 


64  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


XV. 

THE  BUILDING  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  BRANCH  MISSION 
A  feeling  of  tender  reverence  unconsciously  associates  it- 
self with  thoughts  of  the  old  Missions  of  California.  Imag- 
ination rehabilitates  the  ruined  walls  and  recalls  from  the  van- 
ished past  the  brown-robed  padres — most  of  them  saintly  souls 
—who,  offering  their  lives  on  the  altar  of  their  faith,  flrmly 
planted  the  cross  of  Christianity  in  the  new  land.  Again  the 
fertile  fields  are  tilled  by  dark-skinned  natives,  and  as  the 
vesper  bells  chime  softly  the  evening  call  to  prayer,  they  flock 
to  the  mission  to  receive  the  paternal  priestly  blessing,  then 
the  benediction  and  to  sleep  and  silence — a  silence  now  long 
unbroken.  The  hands  that  laboriously  toiled  day  by  day  to 
upbuild  the  walls,  the  hearts  that  beat  high  with  hopes  and 
aspirations  for  the  future,  have  long  been  dust.  That  which 
they  builded  in  the  fulness  of  their  faith  outlasted  the  hands 
of  the  builders,  but  only  to  fall  at  last  into  decay  and  ruin; 
and  amidst  the  desolation  again  may  be  read  the  world-old  les- 
son of  the  mutability  of  earthly  things;  the  passing  of  all  hu- 
man hopes,  ambitions,  loves  and  fears. 

Something  of  this  same  spirit  hovers  around  the  ruins  of 
"Old  San  Benardino  Mission."  Its  place  in  mission 
history  is  unimportant,  yet  it  is  a  point  of  especial  interest  in 
the  history  of  San  Bernardino  Valley.  It  has  been  occupied 
in  turn  by  the  padres  pnd  Mission  Indians;  Mexican  ranch f:ros, 
Mormons,  and  then  for  many  years  as  a  homestead  by  one  of 
the  later  American  families.  Ita  ancient  walls,  blessed  and 
made  sacred  for  holy  use,  first  heard  the  chant  of  the  Gloria 
in  Excelsis  and  the  prayers  of  priest  and  penitent.  It  has 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          65 

been  baptized  in  blood  and  twice  crumbled  in  the  flames  set 
by  the  hands  of  infuriated  savages,  and  lastly  echoed  the 
gleeful  voices  and  the  laughter  of  happy  children. 

As  a  habitation  it  has  long  been  abandoned  and  used  only 
as  a  corral  for  cattle.  A  portion  of  the  walls  are  standing, 
but  not  sufficient  to  give  any  idea  of  the  original  building.  The 
ruins  are  surrounded  by  beautiful  orange  groves,  watered  from 
the  old  zanja  built  by  the  Indians,  under  direction  of  the 
padres,  and  which  has  been  used  constantly  for  irrigating  pur- 
poses from  the  time  it  was  built  to  the  present.  This  old  zanja 
was  bordered  by  two  rows  of  cottonwood  trees,  which,  upon  the 
coming  of  the  American  colonists,  gave  to  the  place  the  name 
of  "Cottonwood  Row,"  by  which  it  was  commonly  known  for 
many  years. 

After  the  destruction  of  the  mission  station  and  "capllla" 
at  Politana  the  missionaries  withdrew  from  the  valley  and 
several  years  elapsed  before  any  special  effort  was  made  toward 
resuming  missionary  work  in  the  valley.  In  the  meantime, 
the  Indians  became  accustomed  to  the  presence  of  white  men 
and  through  the  ministrations  of  the  padres  a  number  of 
them  were  converted  to  Christianity  at  San  Gabriel  mission. 

The  Indians  of  San  Bernardino  Valley  had  ever  manifest- 
ed a  friendship  for  the  missionaries  and  gave  them  very  little 
trouble.  On  the  other  hand  the  Indians  of  the  desert  were 
of  a  turbulent,  warlike  nature,  constantly  making  incursion 
into  the  valley,  killing  the  peacefully  disposed  Indians  and  dis- 
turbing the  whole  country.  As  the  padres  were  unable  from 
their  small  garrison  of  soldiers  at  San  Gabriel  to  provide  pro- 
tection for  the  missionaries  in  outlying  districts,  they  were 
compelled  to  await  the  time  when  missionaries  could  be  sent 
among  the  Indians  with  some  assurance  of  personal  safety.  It 
was  due  to  this  reason  and  not  to  any  neglect  on  the  part  of 
the  missionaries  that  work  in  San  Bernardino  Valley  was  tem- 
porarily abandoned  at  the  time  of  the  burning  of  the  station 
at  Politana. 


66  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


C 

y, 
i—  < 
p 
pfi 


QQ 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  07 

In  1819  the  Guachama  Indians  requested  the  padres  to 
again  establish  themselves  in  the  valley.  The  request  was  fav- 
orably received  and  immediate  steps  were  taken  by  the  padres 
to  build  another  and  larger  branch  mission.  They  selected  a 
location  about  eight  miles  from  Politana  and  in  1820  the  new 
chapel  and  mission  buildings  were  ready  for  occupancy. 
Again  the  chapel  was  dedicated  to  San  Bernardino  of  Sienna 
and  the  buildings  occupied  by  a  priest  and  several  neophytes 
from  San  Gabriel.  A  community  of  Indians  settled  around  the 
mission,  a  zanja  was  built,  land  brought  imder  cultivation  and 
grain  planted.  A  vineyard  and  olive  trees  were  planted,  and 
as  the  valley  furnished  excellent  grazing  grounds  for  cattle 
and  horses,  stock  was  brought  from  San  Gabriel  Under  the 
thrifty  management  of  the  padres  the  mission  rancho  not  only 
raised  sufficient  grain  for  its  own  use  and  that  of  the  Indians, 
but  also  furnished  large  quantities  to  the  mother  mission.  The 
herds  increased  rapidly  until  in  1830  five  thousand  head  of  cat- 
tle were  slaughtered  in  the  valley  and  their  hides  taken  to 
San  Gabriel  to  be  sold  from  that  mission. 

The  same  system  was  employed  at  this  branch  mission  as 
at  the  larger  establishments.  One  of  the  padres  from  San 
Gabriel  had  general  supervision.  The  first  mayordomo  at  Old 
San  Bernardino  Mission  was  Casius  Garcia.  He  carried  out 
the  work  in  detail  and  looked  after  the  material  welfare  of  the 
Indians  engaged  in  agricultural  labors  and  as  vaqueros  on  the 
rancho.  The  hours  of  labor  were  short,  the  Indians  content- 
ed, and  no  serious  disturbance  occurred  until  1831.  In  that 
year  the  old  enemies  of  the  valley,  the  desert  Indians,  made  a 
raid  on  the  mission.  The  usual  devastation  marked  their 
trail.  The  missionaries  were  surprised  anrl  unable  to  resist  the 
attack.  The  buildings  were  destroyed  and  the  stock  scat- 
tered and  driven  away.  The  padres,  accustomed  to  seeing  the 
work  of  their  hands  time  and  again  ruthlessly  destroyed  and 
time  and  again  renewing  their  efforts,  immediately  set  aboitf 


68 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


rebuilding  the  mission,  making  it  more  substantial  than  be- 
fore. 

The  new  mission  was  built  on  a  cobble  stone  foundation. 
The  walls  of  adobe  were  three  feet  thick.  The  building,  in  di- 
mensions, was  about  250  feet  in  length,  125  feet  in  width  and  20 
feet  in  height.  A  corral  extending  nearly  100  feet  beyond  the 
main  building  and  the  full  width  of  the  building,  the  outside 
wall  of  which  was  very  near  the  center  of  the  road  now  pass- 
ing the  ruin.  Another  rectangular  inclosure  was  surrounded 
en  three  sides  by  the  building  itself,  and  inclosed  on  the  north 
side  by  a  high  wall  of  adobe,  through  the  center  of  which  a 
huge  gateway  was  cut.  The  whole  inclosure  formed  a  fort  well 
nigh  impregnable  to  attack  of  desert  Indians.  Across  the 
south  end  of  the  building  a  porch  was  built,  the  roof  of  which 
\vas  supported  by  posts  instead  of  the  usual  adobe  pillars  com- 
mon to  mission  architecture.  Another  porch  extended  along 
the  outer  wall  on  the  north  side  of  the  building. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BEENARDINO  VALLEY.  69 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
SECULARIZATION. 

For  over  two  hundred  years  Mexico  was  a  colony  of  Spain. 
The  work  of  civilization  and  development  of  the  territory  was 
carried  on  by  the  mother  country  until  her  destiny,  under  Di- 
vme  Providence,  was  fulfilled.  In  1821  Mexico  revolted  and 
declared  her  independence.  But  the  cry  "Viva  la  Indepen- 
dencia"  had  scarcely  ceased  to  echo  ere  it  was  followed  by 
"Viva  el  Emporador,"  in  1832,  and  Iturbide  set  up  a  mon- 
archy. In  1824  the  Mexicans  declared  a  Republic,  without  even 
comprehending  what  the  word  Republic  signified.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  succession  of  "pronunciamentos,"  revolutions  and  res- 
torations, each  having  its  brief  day  of  authority  and  vanishing 
1,o  be  succeeded  by  another  as  ephemeral  and  unstable.  There 
was  a  procession  of  Generals,  Dictators  and  Presidents. 

As  Mexico  suffered  from  this  condition  of  affairs  so  did 
California.  The  government  was  considered  a  prize  to  be 
used  for  personal  gain,  and  the  territory  of  California  was 
called  upon  u>  contribute  her  proportion  to  the  spoils.  It  was 
an  era  of  almost  general  maladministration.  A  stream  can- 
not rise  above  its  source;  a  government  can  be  no  better  than 
the  people.  Under  Mexican  rule,  California  had  thirteen  gov- 
ernors of  varying  degrees  of  good,  bad  and  indifferent,  the 
latter  qualities  largely  predominating.  They  began  with 
Pablo  Vicente  de  Sola  in  1822  and  ended  with  Pio  Pico  in  1846. 

The  Missions  of  California  could  not  escape  the  universal 
spoliation.  They  were  known  to  be  rich,  and  the  fertile  im- 
agination of  envious  and  covetous  officials  added  ten-fold  to 
the  amount  of  possession.  For  years  the  missions  were 


70  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

threatened  with  despoilment  and  escaped  only  because  no  po- 
litical party  had  been  bold  enough,  or  in  power  long  enough, 
to  attack  the  property  of  the  church  in  California  without 
warrant  for  their  act 

In  1833  Antonio  Lopez  de  Santa  Ana  proclaimed  himself 
Dictator  of  Mexico.  He  was  an  unscrupulous  man,  devoid  of 
sentiment  or  principle.  He  took  pride  in  styling  himself  "El 
Napoleon  del  Oeste."  He  knew  well  the  value  of  the  Mission 
holdings  in  California  and  needed  no  urging  to  any  act  tend- 
ing towards  the  enrichment  of  himself  or  of  his  followers  and 
favorites.  But  fearing  that  the  masses  were  not  so  wholly 
deadened  to  the  sense  of  justice  as  to  permit  so  unwarranted 
an  outrage  as  the  despoliment  of  the  church  without  authority 
of  excuse,  the  Mexican  government  set  about  preparing  the 
excuse.  The  work  of  th«  missionaries  was  discredited;  they 
were  accused  of  enslaving  the  Indians,  keeping  them  in  bond- 
age and  maltreating  them;  and  furthermore, — the  greatest  sin 
of  all — of  conspiring  against  the  republic  in  the  interests  of 
Spain. 

This  was  sufficient.  On  the  17th  of  August,  1833, 
a  decree  of  secularization  was  issued  by  the  Mexican  Congress 
against  all  mission  property  in  California.  This  was  virtu- 
ally confiscation.  It  provided  that  the  management  of  the 
missions  should  be  taken  from  th-e  control  of  the  padres,  and 
mission  property  placed  in  charge  of  "Administradores"  selec- 
ted by  the  government.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end  of 
the  missionary  era  in  California.  The  downfall  of  the  mis- 
sions dates  from  that  day.  The  magnificent  structures,  rep- 
resenting years  of  toil,  were  doomed;  orchards  and  vineyards 
fell  into  d-ecay,  the  Indian  neophytes  were  turned  out  to  pro- 
vide for  themselves  as  best  they  could,  and  in  a  few  short 
years  the  work  of  despoliation  was  complete. 

This  is  the  darkest  page  in  the  history  of  California.  On 
one  side  injustice  and  insatiable  greed;  on  the  other  side  er- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          71 

tor  committed  while  suffering  from  a  sense  of  grievious 
wrongs. 

As  secularization  marked  an  -epoch  in  the  history  of  Cali- 
fornia, so  it  also  marked  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  San  Ber- 
nardino Valley.  It  was  the  cause  of  the  final  abandonment  of 
the  branch  mission  and  the  distribution  of  mission  lands  to 
individuals,  under  the  Mexican  land  grant  system. 

In  1833  San  Gabriel  Mission  embraced  within  its  boundar- 
ies a  princely  domain.  The  ranches  belonging  to  the  mission 
were  those  of  San  Bernardino,  San  Gorgonio,  Cucamunga,  Yu- 
caipa,  Jurupa,  Rincon,  Chino,  Azusa,  Guapa,  San  Antonio,  San 
Pasqual,  San  Francisquito,  Santa  Anita,  Puenta,  San  Jose, 
Ybarras,  Serranos,  Coyotes,  Serritos,  Rosa  Castilla,  Las  Bol- 
sas,  Alamitos,  Jaboneria  and  Mission  Viejo. 

August  9,  1834,  Jose  Figuroa,  then  governor  of  California, 
issued  an  edict  putting  into  -effect  the  decree  of  secularization. 
Ho  ordered  the  immediate  release  of  all  Indians  under  control 
of  th-e  padres  at  the  various  missions;  and  also  that  ten  of  the 
missions  should  be  changed  into  pueblos  for  the  use  of  the 
Indians,  the  latter  order  to  take  effect  tbe  year  following. 
Certain  lands  were  set  aside  for  the  use  of  the  Indians  resid- 
ing at  the  missions. 

The  result  of  this  order  was  anything  but  satisfactory. 
The  Indians,  removed  from  all  restraining  influences,  rapidly 
degenerated  to  their  primitive  condition.  They  refused  to 
work,  became  dissipated,  lawless,  and  abandoned  themselves 
to  all  kinds  of  vices  and  excesses.  Their  later  condition  be- 
came immeasurably  worse  than  that  from  which  they  were 
rescued  by  the  padres.  Lack  of  restraint,  and  contact  with 
the  white  race,  brought  to  them  nothing  but  absolute  degreda- 
don,  disease  and  death. 

Many  of  the  twenty-one  missions  eventually  became  pri- 
vate property.  In  later  years  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  declared  the  transfer  of  much  of  the  mission  prop- 
erty illegal  and  void  and  ordered  its  return  to  the  church;  but 


72  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

the  ruin  had  been  wrought  and  passed  beyond  remedy.  Mien- 
tras  dure  la  historia,  se  recitaran  para  su  eterna  verguenza  y 
condenaciou  las  maldades  de  los  despotas  que  sacrilegamente 
arruinaron  las  inonumentales  missiones  de  California;  y  mien- 
tras  que  los  nombres  de  sus  fundadores  s-eran  venerados  con 
los  immarcibles  laureles  de  la  gloria  y  de  la  immortalidad. 
DISPOSAL  OF  MISSIONS  UNDER  MEXICAN  GOVERNMENT 

San  Diego — Sold  to  Santiago  Arguello,  June  8,  1846. 

Carmelo-M&nterey. — Pueblo. 

San  Antonio. — Abandoned. 

San  Gabriel — Juan  Bandini,  Comisionado  ? 838-40;  sold 
to  Julian  Workman  and  Hugo  Ried  1846. 

San  Luis  Obispo — Pueblo. 

San  Francisco  Dolores — Pueblo. 

San  Juan  Capistrano — Pueblo.  A  portion  sold  to  Mc- 
Kinley  and  Foster,  1845. 

Santa  Clara. — 1834-5,  Ignacio  del  Valle,  Comisionado  ap- 
pointed to  carry  out  d-ecree  of  secularization.  The  property 
at  this  mission  was  valued  at  $47,000,  exclusive  of  churcb 
lands.  Of  this  amount  $10,000  was  distributed  among  the  In- 
dians of  the  mission,  but  where  the  money  went  to  has  ever 
been  a  mystery.  In  1839,  it  is  related  that  the  Indians  of 
this  mission  were  absolutely  destitute,  their  condition  border- 
ing on  starvation. 

San  Buena  Ventura — Sold  to  Joseph  Arnaz. 

Santa  Barbara — Leased  and  then  sold  to  Nicholas  Den, 
June  8,  1846. 

La  Purisima  Coucepcion. — Sold  to  John  Temple,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1845.  In  1856  the  U.  S.  Land  Commission  restored  the 
buildings  to  thu  "inalienable  possession  of  the  Catholic 
cliurch." 

Santa  Cruz. — Abandoned. 

La  Soledad.— Sold  January,  1846. 

San  Jose. — Don  Jose  Jesus  Vallejo  appointed  Comisionado. 
"Whe  nhe  took  charge  there  were  at  this  mission  about  1800 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


73 


When  he  took  charge  there  were  at  this  mission  about  1,800 
Christian  Indians.  There  were  8,000  head  of  cattle,  3,000  hor- 
ses and  10,000  sheep. 

San  Juan  Batista, — Pueblo. 

San  Miguel. — Disposition  of  this  mission  uncertain. 

San  Fernando. — Leased  to  Andreas  Pico  and  sold  in  1846 
by  Pio  Pico  to  Eulogio  Celis  for  $14,000.  It  is  related  that 
this  mission  was  sold  to  raise  funds  to  prosecute  the  war  with 
the  United  States. 

San  Luis  Rey. — Sold  to  Antoine  Cot  and  Andreas  Pico, 
1846. 

Santa  Inez. — Leased  to  Jose  Carillo. 

San  Rafael. — In  charge  of  a  padre. 

San  Francisco  Solano.      In  charge  of  a  padre. 


74  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  ABANDONMENT  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  MISSION. 

The  enforcement  of  the  decree  of  secularization  com- 
pleted the  downfall  of  the  mission  system.  For  heveral  years 
prior  to  the  decree  a  state  of  general  unrest  had  prevailed.  It 
was  a  time  of  turbulence  and  excitement.  In  ihe  nature  of 
things  it  could  scarcely  be  otherwise.  So  radical  a  change 
could  not  be  made  without  friction  and  discord. 

Many  of  thv?  padres  left  the  country;  others  staid  on  and 
contested  step  by  step  the  infringement  on  their  unques- 
tionable rights.  It  was  a  hopeless  contest  for  the  padres. 
The  missions  were  doomed  and  the  padres  who  remained  saw 
with  bitterness  of  spirit,  born  only  of  despair,  the  destruction 
wrought  by  the  new  order;  saw  the  tearing  down  and  ob- 
literation of  all  they  had  toiled,  hoped  and  prayed  for  during 
so  many  years. 

The  process  of  the  destruction  of  the  missions  was  swift. 
That  of  San  Gabriel  Mission  is  a  fair  example.  It  was,  at 
the  date  of  the  decree  of  secularization,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
of  the  missions.  Beside  vast  landed  property  it  possessed 
100,000  head  of  cattle.  In  two  years  they  had  all  disappeared. 
The  plains  for  miles  were  literally  covered  with  decaying  an- 
imal bodies  and  the  whole  country  threatened  with  pestilence. 
Rage,  hate,  and  vengeance  held  unrestrained  sway  through- 
out the  land. 

It  was  the  avowed  intent  of  the  government  to  distribute 
the  mission  lands  among  the  Indians  in  an  endeavor  to  make 
the  Indians  self-supporting.  The  plan  was  a  failure  from 
the  very  beginning.  The  Indians  had  been  treated  as  chil- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  75 

dren  by  the  padres  and  as  children  they  must  still  be  care«l 
for  and  controlled.  To  meet  this  condition  the  government, 
through  its  appointed  comisionados,  attempted  to  manage  the 
mission  properties.  This  plan  also  proved  a  dismal  and  dis- 
heartening failure.  The  men  appointed  were  so  often  in- 
capable and  corrupt  that  under  their  management  the  mis- 
sion properties  rapidly  dwindled  away,  .lecreased  in  value 
and  soon  fell  into  decay.  The  whole  system  tended  only  tj 
individual  enrichment.  The  condition  of  the  Indians  became 
wretched  in  the  extreme.  They  decreased  rapidly  in  num- 
bers. They  were  treated  as  outcasts,  enslaved,  beaten,  and 
starved  until  in  sheer  desperation  many  of  them  ran  away 
into  the  mountains  and,  banding  together  in  lawlessness,  be- 
gan a  series  of  raids  and  depredations  which  kept  the  coun- 
try in  a  state  of  terror  for  many  years  and  retarded  its  set- 
tlement and  development. 

The  restlessness  of  the  Indians  was  a  constant  source  of 
trouble  to  the  occupants  of  San  Bernardino  Mission.  The 
rancho  afforded  grazing  ground  for  a  large  number  of  cattle 
and  this  attracted  predatory  Indians  to  the  vicinity  and  fre- 
quent raids  were  made  for  the  purpose  of  running  off  the 
mission  stock.  However,  excepting  the  loss  of  cattle,  no 
serious  disturbance  occurred  until  October,  1834,  when  a  band 
of  Piute  Indians,  coming  from  the  desert  into  the  valley,  at- 
tacked San  Bernardino  Mission.  A  furious  battle  was  waged 
in  which  a  number  of  Indians  were  killed,  both  sides  sus- 
taining loss.  At  last,  when  further  resistance  seemed  futile, 
it  was  decided  to  attempt  an  escape  from  the  mission  and  re- 
treat to  San  Gabriel  Mission.  The  Indians  defending  San 
Bernardino — under  command  of  a  neophyte  chief  named  Per- 
fecto — advanced  upon  the  hostile  Indians  and  succeeded  in 
driving  them  back  from  the  mission  buildings.  The  sacred 
vessels  and  vestments  used  in  church  ceremonies,  together 
with  some  other  valuable  property,  were  collected  and  load- 
ed into  three  carretas  and  the  party  started  for  San  Gabriel. 


76  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

The  Piutes  followed,  but  so  well  did  the  mission  Indians  cover 
and  guard  the  retreating  party  that  the  hostile  Indians  aban- 
doned the  pursuit  at  Cucamunga  and  returned  across  the 
mountains  from  whence  they  came. 

Order  having  been  apparently  restored,  the  padres  re- 
turned to  San  Bernardino,  but  only  to  face  fresh  disaster  front 
another  quarter.  In  the  latter  part  of  December  of  the  same 
year  an  uprising  of  Indians  took  place.  A  war  party  of  two 
hundred  Indians,  under  the  leadership  of  two  chiefs,  ex- 
neophytes  of  San  Gabriel,  en  route  to  attack  the  mission  San 
Gabriel,  stopped  and  laid  siege  to  San  Bernardino.  After 
repeated  attacks  entrance  to  the  mission  was  gained  through 
the  corral.  The  mission  Indians,  few  in  number,  unable  to 
continue  further  resistance,  surrendered.  This  time  the  mis- 
sion buildings  were  sacked  and  set  on  fire  in  several  places. 
The  priest  in  charge,  Padre  Estenaga,  was  made  captive  anci 
carried  away  to  the  mountains.  He,  however,  suffered  no 
serious  harm  at  their  hands.  Believing  him  to  be  a  power- 
ful medicine  man  the  Indians  feared  to  put  him  to  death.  He 
was  held  prisoner  for  some  time  until  finally  the  mission  In- 
dians were  able  to  negotiate  his  ransom  and  by  payn/ent  of  a 
quantity  of  provisions  obtained  his  release.  Padre  Tomas  Ellu- 
tario  Estenaga  was  the  last  priest  in  charge  of  the  mission  of 
San  Bernardino.  He  was  a  native  of  Spain,  a  man  of  education 
and  refinement  He  came  to  California  in  1820,  and  died  at 
San  Gabriel  in  1847.  The  last  of  the  mayordomos  of  San 
Bernardino  mission  was  Epomuceno  Alvarado. 

Tales  of  buried  treasure  are  associated  with  every  one  ot 
the  California  Missions;  and  there  are  people  still  living  who, 
with  all  seriousness,  relate  the  story  of  treasure  buried  by  the 
padres  at  San  Bernardino  at  the  time  of  their  hasty  flight 
from  the  mission.  There  is  no  foundation  in  fact  for  these 
stories.  San  P.ernardino  was  tributary  to  San  Gabriel.  Its 
material  wealth  was  poured  into  the  lap  of  the  mother  mis- 
sion and  whatever  gain  there  might  have  been  went  to  fill  the 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  77 

coffers  of  that  mission.  But  so  long  as  the  mind  of  man  re- 
tains its  imaginative  faculty  so  long  will  fertile  fancy  revel  in 
visions  of  hoarded  treasure,  green  and  moldy  with  age,  deep 
buried  in  the  bosom  of  earth,  where  by  some  lucky  chance  it 
may  yet  be  discovered. 

This  closes  the  mission  history  of  San  Bernardino.  It  was 
never  again  occupied  by  the  missionaries. 

Owing  to  the  non-inflamable  character  of  materials  used 
in  constructing  the  last  building,  the  fire  set  by  Indians  did 
very  little  damage  to  the  main  structure;  but  that  which  es- 
caped the  hands  of  vandal  Indians  was  destined  to  fall  prey 
to  the  later  agent  of  destruction  which  outrageously  and  wan- 
tonly wrought  the  partial  demolition  of  many  of  the  missions 
o!i  California.  They  were  destroyed  for  the  sake  of  obtain- 
ing the  building  material  in  them. 

/"^A  portion  of  the  last  mission  had  been  roofed  with  hewn 
timbers,  brought  from  the  mountains,  and  this  was  too  val- 
mble  to  long  escape  notice.  Two  well  known  citizens  of  Los 
Angeles,  with  characteristic  American  foresight,  saw  the  op- 
portunity to  make  some  money  and  did  not  hesitate  to  grasp 
t.  Mission  property  was  anybody's  property  and  the  chance 
of  getting  something  for  nothing  appealed  as  forcibly  to  the 
mind  in  those  days  as  at  present,  while  the  opportunities  off- 
ered were  vastly  in  advance  of  today.  Eleven  carretas  of 
material  from  San  Bernardino  mission  were  taken  into  Los 
Angeles  and  used  in  the  construction  of  Los  Angeles  build- 
ings. But,  however  slow  the  mills  of  the  gods  grind,  it  is 
unfailingly  true  they  in  time  do  measure,  to  a  degree,  with  ex- 
actness. The  day  came  when  some  form  of  restitution  was 
demanded  for  many  acts  of  vandalism  committed  against 
mission  property.  The  two  estimable  Los  Angelenos  eventu- 
ally paid  for  that  timber  at  the  rate  of  $3.00  per  vara.  As  for 
the  adobes,  no  accounting  seems  to  have  been  made.  The 
native  Californian  was  not  particularly  energetic,  unless  in 
the  avoidance  of  labor,  and  as  mission-made  adobes  were  su- 


78  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

perior  articles,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  years  San  Bernardino 
Mission  was  nothing  but  a  dismantled,  crumbling  ruin. 

"So  fleet  the  works  of  men  baclv  to  the  earth  again, 
Ancient  and  holy  things  fade  like  a  dream." 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          79 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

EARLY  LAND  TITLES— MEXICAN  LAND  GRANTS. 

The  subject  of  land  titles  is  an  interesting  one.  Their 
history  may  be  said  to  show  the  advancement  of  races  through 
various  periods,  patriarchial,  feudal,  mediaeval  and  modern; 
communal,  vassal,  tenant  and  owner.  They  represent  the 
growth  of  the  individual;  the  development  of  man  from  sav- 
agery to  civilization. 

The  history  of  land  titles  in  California  shows  the  influ- 
ence of  two  races,  widely  divergent  in  character — the  Latin 
and  the  Anglo-Saxon. 

The  early  Spanish  and  Mexican  inhabitants  of  California 
did  not  look  upon  the  possession  of  land  as  did  the  later  oc- 
cupants. It  was  a  pastoral  age  and  they  were  a  pastoral 
people.  They  regarded  land  as  of  little  value  and  were  su- 
premely indifferent  to  certainty  of  boundaries.  Land  was  used 
principally  for  grazing  cattle  and  a  description  accurate 
enough  to  obtain  a  grant  was  sufficient  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses. If  boundaries  overlapped  the  possessions  of  a  neigh- 
bor here  and  there,  it  did  not  matter.  There  was  land  enough 
for  everyone. 

All  this  changed  with  the  coming  of  the  Americans.  Af- 
ter the  mad  excitement  over  the  discovery  of  gold  had 
abated  somewhat,  clear-headed  men  saw  the  value  of  the  land 
for  agricultural  purposes.  The  ranchers  succeeded  the  Argo- 
nauts. A  sweeping  tide  of  immigration  set  in  from  the  older 
Eastern  States  and  from  Europe.  They  were  an  alien  race 
and  brought  with  them  new  manners,  new  customs  and  a  new 
language.  With  the  new  comers,  possession  of  land  amounted 


80  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

almost  to  a  passion.  There  must  be  no  uncertainty  of  de- 
scription. Tho  title  to  the  land  must  be  absolute,  and  fixed 
by  metes  and  bounds,  must  be  determined  with  exactness,  and 
when  once  determined  no  encroachment  was  tolerated. 

The  Americans  found  nearly  all  the  desirable  land  claimed 
under  Spanish  or  Mexican  grants.  The  treaty  of  Guadalupe- 
Hidalgo,  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  provided  se- 
curity for  the  inhabitants  of  the  ceded  territory  and  that  they 
should  "be  maintained  and  protected  in  the  full  enjoyment  of 
their  liberty  and  property."  This,  in  itself,  was  clear  and 
the  Americans  were  bound  to  respect  and  abide  by  it.  There- 
fore title  to  these  lands  could  only  be  secured  by  right  of  pur- 
chase. Then  came  the  important  question  of  validity  of  title 
under  these  Spanish  and  Mexican  grants.  In  order  to  give 
a  good  title  to  land  a  valid  title  must  be  shown.  In  many 
cases  this  was  impossible.  In  some  instances  as  many  as  five 
different  grants  had  been  issued  to  certain  lands. 

The  first  Spanish  land  grant  in  California  was  made  in 
1775.  The  first  two  large  grants  of  land  were  made  in  1784. 
These  were  the  ranchos  of  Santa  Gertrudis  and  San  Rafael,  in 
what  afterwards  became  Los  Angeles  county. 

After  Mexican  independence  a  number  of  new  laws  were 
passed  and  land  grants  made,  but  these  were  comparatively 
few  in  number  until  after  the  act  of  secularization  in  1833. 
Under  this  act  the  vast  tracts  of  land  held  by  the  missions  be- 
came public  domain  and  were  opened  to  settlement  under 
Mexican  colonization  laws. 

To  obtain  a  grant  of  land,  under  the  laws  of  Mexico,  a  pe- 
tition was  drawn  up,  giving,  as  near  as  possible,  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  land  desired;  and  also  stating  the  age,  nativity, 
and  occupation  of  the  petitioner.  This  petition  was  then 
forwarded  to  some  local  officer  who  would  report  upon  the 
matter.  If  the  report  was  favorable  a  grant  would  be  issued. 
Memoranda  of  such  action  was  sometimes  recorded  in  a  book 
kept  for  the  purpose,  but  as  often  as  otherwise  it  was  simply 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  81 

tiled  away.  Final  proceedings  to  secure  the  grant  consisted 
in  obtaining  the  approval  of  the  territorial  deputation,  and 
after  California  had  become  a  department  of  the  territorial 
assembly,  this  was  not  difficult.  Upon  presentation  of  the 
matter  to  the  assembly  it  would  be  referred  to  a  committee, 
and  the  report  of  the  committee  having  been  made,  upon  ap- 
plication to  the  secretary,  a  certificate  was  given  to  the 
giantee.  No  formal  record  or  registration  was  made  outside 
ot  the  journals  of  the  legislative  body.  Many  of  these  jour- 
nals became  lost  or  were  mislaid  and  when  wanted  could  not 
be  found.  This  carelessness  laid  the  foundation  for  litiga- 
tion which  later  occupied  the  courts  of  the  country  for  many 
years  and  cost  claimants  immense  sums  of  money. 

No  regular  surveys  were  made  under  either  the  Spanish 
\>r  Mexican  povtrnments.  Juridical  possession  was  given  the 
grantee  by  the  nearest  alcalda  or  other  magistrate,  but  the 
title  was  considered  complete  without  juridical  possession. 
The  description  and  boundaries  were  designated  by  certain 
landmarks.  This  was  all  the  law  and  usage  of  Spain  or  Mex- 
ico required.  It  made  a  perfect  title  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses. 

There  were  instances  where  attempt  was  made  to  fix  boun 
daries  by  survey,  but  nothing  like  accuracy  could  be  arrived  at 
through  the  methods  employed.  In  such  a  case  a  reata  of 
about  fifty  varas  would  be  procured  and  this  was  used  as  a 
chain.  Stakes  would  be  prepared  and  placed  in  position  and 
the  surveyor,  after  setting  his  instruments,  would  take  bear- 
ings, with  some  far  distant  mountain,  hill,  rock,  tree  or  river' 
as  a  landmark.  He  would  then  give  command  to  his  assist- 
ants who  would  start  in  the  directions  indicated,  urging  their 
horses  at  a  rapid  pace.  Without  pausing  the  stakes  would 
be  set  in  the  ground  here  and  there,  until  the  line  had  been 
drawn.  It  was,  however,  only  in  exceptional  cases  that  even 
this  crude  attempt  at  survey  was  made.  The  maps  made 
would  indicate  a  tree,  a  mountain,  a  river,  with  the  number  of 


82  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

leagues  distant  from  each  other.      This  method  of  surveying 
was  purely  Mexican.      It  was  not  the  system  used  in  Spain. 

After  the  departure  of  the  padres  from  San  Bernardino 
Mission  in  1834,  the  valley  was  in  possession  of  the  Indians 
who  roamed  at  will  over  the  country.  A  rancheria  of  Indians 
continued  to  make  use  of  the  mission  buildings,  but  many  of 
the  Indians  formerly  living  at  the  mission  wmoved  to  San 
Gabriel  and  the  different  ranches  in  the  south.  There  was 
no  attempt  made  to  settle  the  country.  It  was  impossible. 
No  inducement  offered  to  settlers  could  overcome  the  lack  of 
security. 

No  land  grants  were  made  in  this  section  of  the  State 
until  1838.  In  that  year  the  Jurupa  Rancho  was  granted  to 
Juan  Bandini.  This  rancho  was  then  in  Los  Angeles  County, 
afterward  in  San  Bernardino  County  and  now  in  Riverside 
County.  1*  consisted  of  7  (or  14)  leagues.  It  was  sold  to  D.  B. 
Wilson  in  1841  for  $1,000  per  league. 

The  Cajon  de  Muscupiabe  was  granted  to  Juan  Bandini  in 
1839,  but  his  claim  to  this  grant  was  afterwards  rejected  by 
the  Land  Commission. 

In  1843,  one  league  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cajon  de 
Muscupiabe  was  granted  to  Michael  White  (Miguel  Blanco.) 
The  boundaries  of  this  grant,  in  later  years,  became  the  sub- 
ject of  extensive  litigation. 

Cucamonga,  3  leagues,  granted  Tiburcio  Tapia  in  1839. 

Chino,  or  Santa  Ana  del  Chino,  was  granted  to  Antonio 
Maria  Lugo  in  1841.  It  consisted  of  5  and  3  leagues  of  land. 
Later  it  became  the  property  of  Colonel  Isaac  Williams.  This 
rancho  received  its  name  from  a  half-breed  Indian  vaquero 
who  had  charge  of  the  mission  cattle  at  that  place  in  early 
days.  This  Indian  was  named  Jose  Maria,  but  by  reason 
of  his  curly  hair  was  called  "el  Chino."  The  place  became 
known  by  that  name  and  has  retained  it. 

In  1841,  Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo,  of  the  Rancho  San  An- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BE  RNARDINO  VALLEY . 


83 


tonio,  petitioned  the  Mexican  government  for  a  grant  of  the 
Rancho  de  San  Bernardino.  The  grant  was  obtained  in  the 
name  of  his  three  sons,  Jose  del  Carmen  Lugo,  Jose  Maria 
Lugo,  Vicente  Lugo  and  Diego  Sepulveda,  a  nephew  of  Don 
Antonio.  Formal  grant  was  made  on  the  21st  day  of  June, 
1842,  and  signed  by  Governor  Juan  B.  Alvarado,  then  Consti- 
tutional Governor  of  both  Calif ornias.  Juridical  possession  was 
given  by  Manuel  Dominguez,  Juez  de  Primera  Instancia.  The 
rancho  is  described  as  containing  nine  leagues  or  37,000  acres 
o£  land.  "It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  'Sierra  del  Yu- 
caipe'  and  on  the  west  by  the  'Arroyo  del  Cajon'  and  the 
'Serrita  Solo,'  and  on  the  south  by  the  'Lomerias,'  and  on  the 
north  by  the  brow  of  the  'Sierra'  (falda  de  la  Sierra.)"  This 
grant  included  the  entire  valley  of  San  Bernardino. 

These  Mexican  land  grants  afterwards  came  within  the 
boundaries  of  San  Bernardino  County.  They  were  all  mission 
ranches,  once  the  property  of  San  Gabriel  Mission. 


84  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
THE  EARLY  MEXICAN  PIONEERS. 

The  early  Mexican  pioneers  of  California  were  of  Span- 
:sn  blood.  They  were  proud  of  their  descent,  proud  of  their 
larth  and  ol  the  traditions  of  the  race  from  which  they 
sprung.  This  pride  of  race  is  one  of  the  ptrongest  sentiments 
of  the  human  mind.  It  is  not  an  unworthy  sentiment  for 
it  tends  to  uphold  the  ideals  of  a  nation  and  of  the  family, 
and,  in  striving  to  emulate  the  traditional  virtues  the  indi- 
vidual is  uplifted  and  the  general  tendency  is  toward  the 
elevation  of  all.  Were  it  not  for  this  feeling  of  national  and 
penealogical  piide,  men  would  scarcely  know  who  they  were 
or  where  they  came  from. 

This  pride  was  one  of  the  distinguishing  characteristics 
of  the  early  Californians.  It  may  be  said  to  have  been  meas- 
x;red  in  the  individual  by  the  degree  of  pure  Castilian  blood 
possessed.  In  any  case  it  dominated  their  actions  and  was 
the  fuel  which  fed  the  fire  of  their  ambitions.  Generous  and 
hospitable  to  a  fault;  passionate  and  excitable  in  tempera- 
ment; careless  with  money;  abhorring  labor,  still,  they  never 
f'.rgot  for  an  instant  what  was  due  their  birth.  As  time 
passed  the  Hood  became  fused  with  that  of  other  races;  the 
language  deteriorated  and  lost  its  original  purity;  the  cus- 
toms of  •>!«'  Spain,  though  lingering  long,  at  last  gave  way, 
but  the  pride  remained. 

The  resources  of  the  early  Californinns  were  limited. 
They  lack><!  teachers  and  were  without  schools.  They  had 
little  conception  of  anything  outside  of  their  own  circum- 
scribed sph->rj.  Spain,  Mexico  and  California  was  their  world. 
It  is  slight  wonder  that  they  viewed  the  approach  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .  85 

Americans  with  distrust  and  showed  little  desire  to  encourage 
American  trade  or  American  occupancy  of  the  territory.  It 
vus  an  instinctive  fear  and,  all  unconsciously,  they  followed 
that  immutable  law  of  nature  which,  if  heeded,  points  the 
danger-signal  to  nations  and  to  individuals,  and  endeavors  to 
shield  the  weaker  from  the  stronger.  They  acted  in  the 
light  of  what  seemed  best  to  them.  They  were  forced,  at  last, 
to  succumb  to  the  inevitable.  The  present  understands  the 
past  as  iittlo  as  the  future  will  understand  the  present.  These 
eaily  Californians  were  of  a  type  that  has  passed  away.  Let 
their  virtues,  and  they  had  many,  be  remembered;  their  faults 
l>e  forgotten, 

A  name  \vell  known  in  the  early  history  of  California  is 
that  of  Juan  Eandini,  grantee  of  the  Jurupa  rancho.  Though 
the  Jurupa  rancho  was  never,  strictly  speaking,  any  part  of 
San  Bernardino  Valley,  it  was  once  entirely  within  the  boun- 
daries of  San  Bernardino  county  and  has  a  place  in  the  early 
history  of  the  valley.  A  small  portion  of  the  original  Jurupa 
grant  still  remains  within  the  line  of  San  Bernardino  county — 
Agua  Mansa.  The  Jurupa  rancho  was  the  first  of  the  Mexi- 
can land  grants  in  the  vicinity  of  the  valley.  Of  the  grantee, 
Juan  Bandini,  Bancroft's  Pioneer  Register  gives  the  following 
condensed  account: 

"Bandini  (Juan)  son  of  Jose,  born  at  Lima  in  1800.  The 
exact  day  of  his  arrival  in  California  is  not  known.  It  Is 
possible  that  he  came  with  his  father  in  '19  or  '21.  His  pub- 
lic life  began  in  '27-8  as  member  of  the  diputacion;  '28-'32 
sub-comisario  of  revenues  at  San  Diego;  suplente  congress- 
man '31-2.  In  '31  he  took  a  leading  part  in  fomenting  the 
revolution  against  Gov.  Victoria,  and  in  opposing  Zamorano's 
counter-revolt  of  '32.  In  '33  he  went  to  Mexico  as  member 
o."  congress,  buc  came  back  in  '34  as  vice-president  of  Hijar 
atiJ  Padres'  grand  colonization  and  commercial  company; 
si  percargo  of  the  company's  v<*sel,  the  Natalia,  and  inspector 
of  customs  for  California.  The  disastrous  failure  of  the  col- 


$6  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

ocy  scheme,  and  the  refusal  of  California  to  recognize  his 
authority  as  inspector,  were  regarded  by  Don  Juan  as  the  most 
serious  misfortunes  of  his  whole  life  and  of  his  adopted 
country's  history,  his  failure  being  rendered  the  more  humil- 
iating by  the  detection  of  certain  smuggling  operations  in 
which  he  was  engaged.  In  '36-8  Bandini  was  in  several  re- 
spects the  leading  spirit  of  the  southern  opposition  to  Alvar- 
ado's  government;  at  each  triumph  of  the  arribenos  he  was 
lucky  to  escape  arrest,  and  lost  no  time  in  fomenting  new  re- 
volts. His  position  was  a  most  unwise  one,  productive  of  great 
harm  to  California;  his  motive  was  chiefly  personal  feeling 
against  Angel  Ramirez,  whom  he  regarded  as  influential  in  the 
new  administration,  for  he  had  been  a  personal  friend  of  the 
northern  leaders  and  supporters  of  their  general  views;  and 
his  record  as  a  politician  throughout  the  sectional  troubles 
was  neither  dignified,  patriotic,  nor  in  any  way  creditable.  Un- 
der Carillo  he  was  nominally  in  charge  of  the  San  Diego  cus- 
torr  house.  Ho  was  owner  of  the  Tecate  rancho  on  the  fron- 
tier, which  was  sacked  by  the  Indians  in  '37-8,  Bandini  and 
his  family  being  reduced  to  poverty  and  serious  want;  but 
Governor  Alvarado  made  him  administrator  of  San  Gabriel 
mission  '38-40,  granting  him  also  in  '38  Jurupa,  in  '39  Rincon 
ond  Cajon  de  Muscupiabe,  and  land  at  San  Juan  Capistrano 
'41.  He  was  appointed  fiscal  of  the  tribunal  superior  '40-42, 
was  comisionado  at  the  new  pueblo  of  San  Juan  de  Arguello 
in  '41,  and  sindico  at  L>.  Angeles  '44,  taking  but  slight  part 
in  the  troubles  with  Gov.  Micheltorena.  In  '45-6  Don  Juan 
was  Gov.  Pico's  secretary,  and  a  zealous  supporter  of  his  ad- 
ministration, particularly  in  mission  affairs  and  opposition  to 
Castro,  being  also  a  member  of  the  assembyl  and  originator 
of  the  projected  consejo  general.  Later,  however,  he  es- 
poused the  U.  S.  cause,  furnished  supplies  for  Stockton's 
battalion,  was  offered  the  collectorship,  and  named  as  mem- 
ber of  the  legislative  council  in  '47,  and  alcade  of  San  Diego 
in  '48.  In  '49  he  declined  a  judgeship;  is  said  to  have  im- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY,  87 

paired  his  fortune  by  erecting  a  costly  building  in  '50  at  San 
Diego,  where  be  kept  a  store;  and  subsequently  appears  to 
have  gone  across  the  frontier,  where  the  estate  of  Guadalupe 
had  been  granted  him  in  '46,  lesuming  his  Mexican  citizen- 
ship and  serving  as  juez  in  '52.  He  still  dabbled  to  some 
extc  nt  in  revolutionary  politics,  and  as  a  supporter  of  Melen- 
dres  had  to  quit  the  country  with  all  his  live  stock  in  '55.  He 
died  at  Los  Angeles  in  1859.  It  is  evident  from  the  preceding 
resume  of  what  is  for  the  most  part  more  fully  told  elsewhere 
that  Juan  Bandini  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent men  of  his  time  in  California.  He  was  a  man  of  fair 
abilities  and  education,  of  generous  impulses,  of  jovial  tem- 
perament, a  rncst  interesting  man  socially,  famous  for  his 
gentlemanly  manners,  of  good  courage  in  the  midst  of  person- 
al misfortunes,  and  always  well  liked  and  respected;  indeed 
his  record  as  a  citizen  was  an  excellent  one.  He  also  per- 
formed honestly  and  efficiently  the  duties  of  his  various  offi- 
cial positions.  In  his  grander  attempts  as  a  would-be 
statesman,  Don  Juan  was  less  fotunate.  His  ideas  were  good 
enough,  never  absurd  if  never  brilliant;  but  when  once  an  idea 
became  fixed  in  his  brain,  he  never  could  understand  the  fail- 
ure of  Californian  affairs  to  revolve  around  that  idea  as  a 
center;  and  in  his  struggles  against  fate  and  the  stupidity  of 
his  compatriots  he  became  absurdly  diplomatic  and  tricky  as 
a  politician.  He  was  an  eloquent  speaker  and  fluent  writer, 
though  always  disposed  to  use  a  good  many  long  words  when 
a  few  short  ones  would  serve  the  better  purpose.  Bandini'a 
first  wife  was  Dolores,  daughter  of  Capt.  Jose  M.  Eetudillo, 
whose  children  were  Arcadia — Mrs.  Abel  Stearns  and  later 
Mrs.  Robert  S.  Baker;  Isadora,  who  married  Col.  Cave  J. 
Coutts;  Josef  a,  the  wife  of  Pedro  C.  Carillo;  Jose  Maria, 
whose  wife  was  Terese  Arguelio;  and  Juanito.  His  second 
^vife  was  Relugio,  daughter  of  Santiago  Arguello,  whose  chil- 
dren were  Juan  de  la  Cruz,  Ai'redo,  Arturo  and  two  daugh- 
ter, who  married  Charles  R.  Jjhnson  and  Dr.  James  B.  Wins- 


88  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

ton.  Bandini  s  daughters  were  famous  lor  their  beauty:  ali 
or  most  of  his  children  live  in  Southern  California  in  '85, 
some  wealthy,  all  in  comfortable  circumstances  and  of  respect- 
able family  connections." 

The  name  of  Lugo,  however,  properly  heads  the  list  of 
Mexican  pioneers  of  San  Bernardino  Valley.  They  were 
grantees  of  the  rancho  de  San  Bernardino  and  this  rancho 
practically  took  in  the  whole  valley. 

In  the  time  intervening  between  the  passing  of  the  friars 
and  the  coming  of  the  Lugos  there  seems  to  have  been  an  oc- 
cupant of  the  rancho  de  San  Bernardino  in  the  person  of  Jose 
Bermudas,  who,  with  his  family,  came  from  Los  Angeles 
County  about  1836  and  "squatted"  on  the  property  afterwards 
granted  the  Lugos.  He  built  the  historic  "old  adobe"  dwell- 
ing, afterwards  the  site  of  "the  Mormon  fort,"  and  now  the 
property  of  Wozencraft,  on  C  street.  Bermudas  occupied  the 
property  until  dispossessed  by  the  grant  to  the  Lugos.  It 
is  doubtful  if  he  ever  made  any  regular  claim  to  or  applica- 
tion for  this  property.  At  all  events,  the  matter  of  his  re- 
linquishment  was  amicably  settled  and  he  removed  to  the 
Yucaipe,  having  been  promised  a  grant  of  land  in  that  local- 
ity. This  promise  was  never  fulfilled.  Later,  land  was  prom- 
ised him  in  Canade  de  San  Timoteo  and  he  removed  from 
Yucaipe  to  the  property  now  owned  by  his  son.  This  son. 
Miguel  Bermudas,  was  born  at  San  Gabriel,  and  was  a  child 
of  five  years  of  age  when  his  father  moved  into  the  valley.  He 
claims  to  be  the  oldest  settler,  in  point  of  residence,  of  San 
Bernardino  Valley. 

Juan  Nepomuceno  Alvarado  may  be  said  to  have  been  an 
almost  continuous  resident  of  the  rancho  San  Benardino  from 
1830,  when  appointed  by  the  padres  moyor  domo  of  the  mis- 
sion, until  the  lands  came  into  possession  of  the  Lugos.  He 
was  the  last  mayordomo,  honest,  industrious,  faithful  in  the 
performance  of  his  duties,  and  implicitly  trusted  by  the  padres. 
After  the  Lugos  came  he  removed  to  Cucamonga  and  after- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .          89 

•wards  settled  on  land  near  North  Ontario,  naming  his  place 
San  Antonio.  He  abandoned  this  property  and  removed  to 
Los  Angeles,  where  he  died  in  1869. 

Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo,  grantee  of  the  Santa  Ana  del 
Chino,  or  Chino  rancho,  and  father  of  Jose  del  Carmen  Lugo, 
Jose  Maria  Lugo  and  Vicente  Lugo,  grantees  of  the  rancho  de 
San  Bernardino,  was  born  at  the  Mission  of  San  Antonio  de 
Padua,  in  1775.  He  was  owner  of  the  San  Antonio  rancho, 
one  of  the  earliest  and  richest  of  the  Alta-California  land 
grants,  given  him  in  1810,  while  serving  as  a  soldier  of  Spain. 
Don  Antonio  was  a  picturesque  character.  He  was  uneducated, 
but  a  man  of  great  energy,  decision  and  strength  of  mind.  He 
was  of  commanding  figure,  fully  six  feet  in  height,  spare  and 
sinewy.  His  face  was  of  the  purely  Spanish  type  with 
square-cut  features  and  closely  shaven;  the  naturally  stern 
expression  relieved  by  an  appearance  of  grim  humor.  He 
•was  a  superb  horseman  and  retained  his  erect  carriage  to  the 
date  of  his  death,  at  eighty-five  years.  This  occurred  in  I860. 

Bancroft's  Pioneer  Register  states  that  he  was  "alcalde 
of  Los  Angeles  in  1816  to  1819;  juez  del  campo  1833-34;  a 
member  of  the  ayuntamiento  and  took  part  in  the  troubles 
between  the  north  and  south." 

Juez  del  campo,  or  judge  of  the  plains,  was  an  important 
position  in  the  early  days.  The  person  holding  the  office 
was,  in  a  way,  an  autocrat.  There  was  no  appeal  from  his 
decisions.  His  duties  consisted  in  settling  disputes  between 
rancheros  relative  to  the  ownership  of  cattle,  etc. 

H.  D.  Barrows,  of  Los  Angeles,  in  one  of  the  annual  pub- 
lications of  the  Historical  Society  of  Southern  California, 
writes  entertainingly  of  Don  Antonio,  and  as  he  had  the  ben- 
efit of  a  personal  acquaintance  is  well  able  to  estimate  the 
character  of  this  early  pioneer: 

"Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo  was,  in  most  respects  as  thor- 
oughly a  Spaniard  as  if  he  had  been  born  and  reared  in  Spain. 
With  "Los  Yankees,"  as  a  race,  he,  and  the  old  Californlans 


90  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

generally,  had  little  sympathy,  although  individual  members 
of  the  race  whom  from  long  association  he  came  to  know  in- 
timately, and  who  spoke  his  language,  he  learned  to  esteem 
and  respect  most  highly,  as  they  in  turn,  learned  most,  highly 
to  esteem  and  respect  him,  albeit,  his  civilization  differed  in 
some  respects  radically  from  theirs. 

It  is  related  of  him  that  on  seeing  for  the  first  time  an 
American  mowing-machine  in  operation,  he  looked  on  with 
astonishment,  and  holding  up  one  long,  bony  finger,  he  ex- 
claimed: "Los  Yankees  faltan  uu  dedo  de  ser  el  Diablo!' 
The  Yankee  only  lacks  one  finger  of  being  the  Devil! 

To  rightly  estimate  the  character  of  Senor  Lugo,  it  is  nec- 
essary for  Americans  to  remember  these  differences  of  race 
and  environment.  Although  he  lived  under  three  regimes, 
to-wit:  Spanish,  Mexican  and  Anglo-American,  he  retained  to 
the  last  the  essential  characteristics  which  he  inherited  from 
his  Spanish  ancestors;  and  although,  as  I  have  intimated,  he 
had  as  was  very  natural,  no  liking  for  Americans  themselves, 
as  a  rule,  or  for  their  ways,  nevertheless,  he  and  all  the  better 
class  of  native  Californians  of  the  older  generations  did  have 
&  genial  liking  for  individual  Americans  and  other  foreigners, 
who,  in  long  and  intimate  social  and  business  intercourse, 
proved  themselves  worthy  of  their  friendship  and  confidence." 
•  Jose  del  Carmen  Lugo,  son  of  Antonio  Maria  Lugo,  ac- 
cording to  Bancroft's  Pioneer  Register,  "was  born  at  Los  An- 
geles 1813;  regidor  at  Los  Angeles  '38-9;  grantee  San  Bernar- 
dino 1842;  juez  del  campo  1844;  prominent  in  Chino  fight  and 
several  Indian  expeditions  '46-7;  alcalde  Los  Angeles  '49. 
After  selling  his  ranch  to  the  Mormons  in  1851  he  lived  in 
Los  Angeles,  in  good  circumstances  until  about  1865,  when  he 
lost  his  property.  He  had  a  wife  and  four  daughters. 

"Jose  Maria  Lugo,  son  of  Antonio  Maria  Lugo."  Ban- 
croft's Pioneer  Register  fails  to  give  date  of  birth,  but  says: 
"juez  del  campo  at  Los  Angeles  '36-8;  one  of  the  grantees  of 
San  Bernardino." 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .          91 

"Vincente  Lugo;  one  of  the  grantees  of  San  Bernardino 
1842;  justice  at  San  Gabriel  1850;  supervisor  Los  Angeles 
County  '62-3." 

"Diego  Sepulveda,"  one  of  the  grantees  of  San  Bernardino 
1842;  was  somewhat  prominent  in  the  Flores  revolt  at  Los 
Angeles  "46-7."  Sepulveda  appears  to  have  taken  part  in  the 
battle  of  the  Chino  and  to  have  figured  in  political  distur- 
bances of  the  time. 

Of  the  younger  Lugos  very  little  can  be  said.  They  came 
into  San  Bernardino  Valley  in  1841  and  secured  a  grant  of 
the  San  Bernardino  rancho  in  1842.  They  lived  the  life  of  the 
average  ranchero  and,  passing  on,  left  very  little  impress  on 
the  history  of  the  valley.  The  valley,  in  their  time,  was 
simply  a  vast  tract  of  land,  magnificently  beautiful,  but  the 
future  possibilities,  all  undreamed  of,  waited  the  coming  of 
another  race. 

Jose  del  Carmen  Lugo  occupied  the  old  adobe  house,  built 
by  Jose  Bermudas.  He  afterwards  removed  to  the  old  mis- 
sion. Jose  Maria  Lugo  built  for  himself  a  house  at  Homoa. 
about  four  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the  present  city  of  San 
Bernardino.  It  was  at  the  base  of  the  foot-hills,  then,  and 
for  many  years  after,  the  site  of  an  Indian  rancherla.  Vi- 
cente Lugo  lived  at  the  rancheria  of  Politana  and  Diego  Sep- 
ulveda at  Yucaipe. 

A  large  number  of  cattle  were  brought  from  the  Lugo 
rancho  San  Antonio  to  San  Bernardino.  Stock-raising  was 
conducted  on  an  extensive  scale.  The  animals  increased  rap- 
idly in  number  and  it  is  said  the  Lugos  never  knew  how  many 
head  of  cattle  they  owned.  The  work  of  caring  for  them  was, 
at  first,  principally  performed  by  Indian  vaqueros. 

Throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  Lugo  occupancy  vhey 
suffered  much  from  Indian  depredations  which,  however,  were 
confined  to  running  off  the  stock.  Horse  and  cattle  stealing 
was  a  recognized  industry  in  those  days  and  it  was  not  until 
after  the  advent  of  the  Americans  that  it  received  a  set-back. 


92  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


CHAPTER  XX. 
MEXICAN    PIONEERS— ISAAC      WILLAMS— BATTLE    AT 

CHINO. 

The  Americans  who  came  into  California  in  the  early  days 
were  not  ordinary  men.  As  a  rule  they  were  men  endowed 
•with  unusual  characteristics.  It  was  not  love  of  gold  that 
led  them  to  face  the  perils  of  a  journey  across  mountain,  des- 
ert, plain  or  ocean,  for  gold  had  not  yet  been  discovered  in 
California.  It  was  rather  a  restlessness  of  spirit  that  could 
not  brook  the  restraints  of  an  older  civilization  and  found  iu 
the  freer  life  of  the  frontier  that  which  appealed  strongest  to 
their  adventure-loving  natures.  Such  men  have  ever  been  of 
the  vanguard  in  the  progress  of  civilization.  From  out  of 
the  old  lands  of  a  weary  old  world  they  crossed  the  stormy 
Atlantic  to  the  new  lands  of  a  newer  world;  then,  step  by  step 
across  a  continent  until  the  calm,  smiling  waters  of  the  Pa- 
cific seemed  to  set  a  boundary  beyond  which  they  could  not 
further  go.  But  the  wheels  of  Progress  will  not  stay  their 
resistless  course  and  men  must  advance,  always  to  some  far- 
off  ideal  the  end  of  which  is  beyond  vision.  So  these  Amer- 
icans came  to  California  and  found  here  what  appeared  to 
them  limitless  possibilities — wealth  without  labor,  life  without 
toil.  These  big,  strong,  virile  American  men  were  favored 
by  the  dark-eyed  senoritas  of  the  sunny  land  and  with  their 
love  went  dower  of  rich  lands  and  herds  of  fat  cattle.  Thoso 
that  came  in  search  of  adventure  stayed.  Here  was  wealth, 
teauty,  pleasure,  love,  and  the  spell  of  it  all  soon  bound  them 
in  a  thrall  they  did  not  care  to  break.  It  was  lotus-land  ami 
the  cooler  northern  blood  was  not  proof  against  the  languor 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  93 

oi  the  southern  sun,  and  the  desire  to  bask  forever  in  Uie 
soft,  warm  rays  grew  upon  them  until  the  wild  spirit  of  ad- 
venture which  had  thrilled  their  pulses  and  led  them  from 
afar  slumbered  under  the  spell  and  no  longer  beckoned.  Then 
they  took  to  themselves  wives,  the  beautiful  daughters  of  the 
best  families  in  the  land  .  All  that  was  required  of  them  was 
some  slight  formality  in  the  way  of  change  of  faith — and  their 
zeligious  prejudices  were  not  strong — and  an  allegiance  to  an- 
other government  than  their  own.  This  did  not  weigh  heav- 
ily upon  them,  so  they  embraced  the  new  faith  and  the  new- 
customs — and  yet  they  became  not  so  much  a  part  of  the 
latter,  for  in  return  they  infused  into  the  new  life  that  which 
;,'ie  native  Californians  lacked — a  spirit  of  enterprise  and  tho 
energy  of  the  colder-blooded  race. 

Isaac  Williams  of  the  Rancho  del  Chino,  was  a  typical 
American  pioneer  of  that  period.  He  was  the  first  American 
?o  settle  in  this  section  of  the  State.  His  was  a  spirit  born  t; 
command.  Whole-souled,  generous,  hospitable,  he  kept  open 
house  for  every  American  passing  his  door.  A  hearty  greet- 
ing awaited  every  comer;  the  best  the  rancho  afforded  was  at 
their  disposal  and  they  were  invited  to  regard  it  as  their  own, 
and  when  at  last  the  time  came  for  departure,  it  was  with 
sincere  expressions  of  regret  that  the  genial  owner  of  the 
place  bade  them  God-speed.  Many  a  party  of  exhausted  emi- 
grants halted  at  the  Chino  rancho,  and  many  a  weary,  foot- 
sore wanderer  found  here  a  resting  place.  Not  one  among 
his  countrymen,  if  in  need,  left  the  home  of  Isaac  Williams 
empty  handed  .  Indeed,  it  is  stated  that  Colonel  Williams, 
in  his  desire  to  aid  his  countrymen,  sometimes  came  very  near 
to  embarrassing  himself.  However,  if  he  erred  at  all  in  this 
respect  it  was  on  the  right  side,  and  if  the  blessings  and  rem- 
embrance of  the  weary,  home-sick,  heart-sick  travelers  in  a 
strange  land  may  count  to  his  credit,  Colonel  Williams  needs 
no  other  monument. 

Isaac  Williams,  generally  known  in  California  as  Julian 


94  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

Williams,  was  born  in  Wyoming  Valley,  Penn.,  Sept.  19,  1799 
He  came  to  Los  Angeles  in  1832  with  Ewiag  Young's  party  of 
thirty  men  who  had  been  engaged  in  hunting  and  trapping  on 
the  Gila  River,  in  New  Mexico.  With  this  party  also  came 
Moses  Carson,  a  brother  of  the  celebrated  Kit  Carson.  Mr. 
Williams  appears  to  have  become  prominent  in  local  affa'r? 
very  soon  atfer  his  arrival,  as  his  name  is  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  several  matters.  He  was  a  member  of  the  vig- 
ilance committee  in  1835.  In  1839  he  took  the  oath  of  al- 
legiance and  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  Mexico.  Im- 
mediately following  he  married  Senorita  Maria  de  Jesus  Lugo, 
daughter  of  Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo,  and  in  1841  became 
owner  of  the  Chino  rancho,  of  which  Don  Antonio  was  the 
original  grantee.  In  1843  he  obtained  an  additional  grant  of 
land  adjoining  his  Chino  property  and  settled  down  as  a 
lancher  and  stock  breeder,  devoting  himself  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  large  estate.  In  1846  he  proposed  to  build  a  fort 
nt  the  Cajon,  on  condition  that  he  be  allowed  to  bring  goods  *o 
the  value  of  $25,000  into  California,  free  of  import  duty,  as  at 
that  time  there  was  a  tax  of  $600  on  every  vessel. 

At  the  time  of  the  American  invasion  of  California  the 
Americans  living  in  the  territory  were  looked  upon  by  the 
Californians  with  more  or  less  suspicion.  While  nominally 
citizens  of  Mexico,  the  Americans  saw  the  advantage  which 
would  accrue  to  California  if  brought  under  the  government 
of  the  United  States,  and  many  of  them  were  pronounced  in 
advocating  the  change.  This,  naturally,  was  not  pieaslng  to 
the  native  Californians  who  were  Mexican  in  their  sympathies, 
and  more  or  less  coldness  and  friction  resulted  in  consequence. 

Open  hostilities  between  the  Californians  and  the  Ameri- 
cans began  at  Los  Angeles,  September,  1846,  when  Cervol  V:i 
rela  attacked  the  Americans  under  A.  H.  Gillespie,  a  Lieuten- 
ant of  Marines,  left  in  charge  as  Military  Commandant  at  Los 
Angeles,  by  Commodore  Stockton.  D.  B.  Wilson,  owner  of 
the  Jurupa  rancho,  was  then  in  command  of  a  force  of  twenty 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.  95 

men  stationed  at  Jurupa  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  in- 
habitants and  property  on  the  San  Bernardino  frontier  from 
fudian  raids.  Wilson,  ordered  by  Gillespie  to  come  to  hi? 
aid,  was  en  route  to  Los  Angeles  and  stopped  at  the  Chmo 
rancho,  the  property  of  Colonel  Williams  .  The  party  waa 
nearly  out  of  powder  and  found  Williams  in  the  same  condi- 
tion. In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  their  arrival,  while  de- 
liberating as  to  future  movements,  Isaac  Callaghan,  a  scout 
sent  out  to  reconnoitre,  returned  to  the  house  with  a  bullet 
In'  his  arm  and  reported  the  approach  of  a  party  of  Califor- 
nians.  After  consultation  it  was  decided  that,  taking  all 
things  into  consideration,  the  Americans  were  more  than  equal 
to  the  Californians  and  they  decided,  notwithstanding  their 
lack  of  ammunition  to  withstand  a  siege. 

The  Californians  under  Varela,  Diego  Sepulveda  and 
Ramon  Carillo,  with  fifty  men,  made  up  the  attacking  party. 
They  were  later  reinforced  with  twenty  men  from  San  Ber- 
nardino rancho  under  command  of  Jose  del  Carmen  Lugo. 
The  Californians  were  also  short  of  weapons  and  ammunition. 

The  Chino  ranch  house  was  an  adobe  building  fashioned 
in  the  usual  California  manner,  surrounding  a  courtyard.  The 
roof  was  of  asphaltum.  There  were  few  doors  and  windows, 
hut  the  walls  were  plentifully  supplied  with  loop-holes.  The 
entire  building  was  surrounded  with  an  adobe  wall  and  a 
ditch. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  September,  an  attack 
was  made  on  the  rancho.  The  Californians,  on  horseback, 
made  a  fierce  onslaught  firing  as  they  approached  the  house, 
to  which  the  Americans  responded.  The  horses  of  the  Cali- 
fornians became  frightened  and  in  attempting  to  leap  the 
ditch  threw  several  of  their  riders  who  received  injuries,  and 
ore  man,  Carlos  Ballestros,  was  killed.  Three  men  inside  the 
ranch  house  were  wounded.  The  attacking  party  succeeded 
in  reaching  a  secure  position  under  the  shelter  of  the  walls 
and  from  there  set  fire  to  the  roof  of  the  building.  The 


96  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

Americans  finding  themselves  trapped  and  in  danger  of  a 
scorching  concluded  to  surrender,  and  in  order  to  make  as 
good  terms  as  possible  induced  Col.  Williams,  whose  brother- 
in-law  was  one  of  the  captains  in  command  of  the  assailants, 
to  take  his  children  and  presenting  himself  outside,  make  an 
appeal  to  Lugo.  The  Americans  surrendered.  The  Califor- 
mans  then  set  about  extinguishing  the  flames  and  afterwards 
pioceeded  to  loot  the  building.  Enraged  at  the  death  of 
Ballestros,  who  was  a  general  favorite  among  them,  the  In- 
furiated men  insisted  on  putting  the  prisoners  to  death,  but. 
milder  counsel  prevailed  and  they  were  taken  to  Los  Angela, 
rliero  the  more  proininfiit  of  them  were  held  by, Flores  until 
January,  1847.  It  is  related  that  these  men  were  promised  their 
liberty  on  condition  that  they  agreed  not  to  bear  arms  or  use 
their  influence  in  favor  of  the  United  States,  but  to  their  cred- 
it they  refused  to  secure  freedom  on  such  terms.  Among  those 
captured  at  the  battle  of  Chino  were  D.  B.  Wilson,  Isaac  Wil- 
liams, David  W.  Alexander,  John  Rowland,  Louis  Robidoux, 
Joseph  Perdue,  William  Skene,  Isaac  Callaghan,  Evan  Calla- 
ghan,  Michael  White,  Matt  Harbin,  George  Walters. 

Colonel  Williams  returned  to  the  Chino  rancho  where  he 
resided  until  his  death,  Sept.  13,  1856.      He  sleeps  in  the  old 
cemetery  at  Los  Angeles.      He  left  two  daughters,  Maria  Mer- 
ced, wife  of  John  Rains,  and  Francesca,  wife  of    Robert  Car 
lisle. 

Don  Tiburcio  Tapia,  of  Cucamonga  rancho  was  a  man  of 
considerable  importance  in  his  day  and  time.  His  name  ap- 
pears frequently  in  the  history  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles. 
He  is  credited  with  being  a  man  of  "good  sense,  good  char- 
acter and  some  wealth."  It  is  a  very  desirable  combination 
though  possibly  a  trifle  rare. 

Tiburcio  Tapia  was  born  at  San  Luis  Obispo  in  1789.  He 
served  his  country  as  a  soldier  and  was  a  corporal  at  the 
Presidio  of  Santa  Barbara.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Puris- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .          97 

ima  Guards  in  1824,  and  a  member  of  the  diputacloii  from 
1827  to  1833.  After  Mexico  had  adopted  the  centralized  form 
of  government  the  seat  of  Prefecture  for  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict of  California  was  established  at  Los  Angeles,  and  Tibur- 
cio  Tapia  was  first  Prefect,  holding  the  office  from  1839  to 
1841.  He  received  a  grant  of  the  Cucumonga  rancho  in  1839. 

Stories  of  buried  treasure  become  slightly  wearisome  In 
the  history  of  California.  San  Bernardino  valley  has  its 
share  and  Cucamuuga  is  one  or  the  hiding  places  of  money. 
It  is  reported  that  a  small  portion  of  this  treasure  was  discov- 
ered a  few  years  ago,  but  the  larger  portion  still  remains 
within  the  bosom  of  earth.  Men  have  resorted  to  all  sorts 
of  methods  to  unearth  the  old  Don's  treasure.  Magic  wands 
and  electrical  "gold  finders"  have  been  brought  into  use;  and 
not  content  with  the  inventions  of  mere  mortal  men,  the  hab- 
itants of  the  realms  of  space  in  the  upper  and  nether  worlds 
have  been  called  to  assist  in  the  search  for  treasure.  But 
still  the  treasure  eludes  the  hand  of  the  seeker,  and  the  seek- 
ers still  hope  to  find  the  treasure. 

As  the  story  runs,  Don  Tapia  was  believed  to  possess  fab- 
ulous wealth.  In  those  turbulent  days  when  government  was 
on  the  move  and  continually  shifting  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  with  undreamed  of  possibilities  in  the  way  of  change, 
a  man's  best  and  safest  place  for  the  deposit  of  money  was 
not  far  removed  from  his  hand.  Don  Tapia  shared  the  gen- 
eral distrust.  He  had  money  and  he  wanted  to  keep  it.  At 
first  some  adobes  were  removed  from  the  walls  of  his  house 
and  the  money  hidden  within  a  cavity  prepared  for  it.  Time 
passed  until  in  1846  the  Americans,  under  General  Fremont, 
were  dangerously  near,  too  close  to  be  interesting.  The  old 
Don  was  in  deep  distress  and  at  a  loss  to  know  exactly  what 
to  do  with  his  money.  Night  after  night  he  tossed  restlessly 
on  his  bed  and  his  sleep,  when  it  came,  was  disturbed  by 


08  HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

frightful  dreams  in  which  he  saw  the  invaders  ferreting  out 
the  hiding  place  of  his  treasure.  At  last  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  burying  it  in  some  spot  far  enough  removed  from  the 
house  to  be  secure  from  suspicion.  One  night,  taking  with 
him  two  Indian  servants,  he  loaded  the  treasure  in  a  cart  and 
set  out  for  the  place  selected.  The  distance  from  the  house 
can  only  be  surmised.  The  treasure  was  buried  and  as  the 
morning  light  dawned  the  Don  and  his  servants  returned  to 
the  rancho.  In  some  way  the  Don  was  able  to  work  upon 
the  superstitious  fears  of  the  Indians  sufficiently  to  insure 
their  silence,  for,  though  Don  Tapia  passed  away  with  the 
secret  untold,  no  amount  of  persuasion  could  induce  the  In- 
dians to  divulge  the  hiding  place.  They  were  afraid  to  do 
go.  It  is  said  the  old  Don's  restless  spirit  still  guards  the 
treasure  and  for  many  years  the  house  was  pointed  out  as  a 
"haunted  house,"  the  place  of  strange  sights  and  mysterious 
sounds. 

After  the  death  of  Don  Tapia  the  property  passed  into  the 
possession  of  his  daughter,  the  wife  of  Leon  V.  Prudhomme. 

Michael  White,known  also  as  Miguel  Blanco,  was  one  of 
the  first  English-speaking  settlers  of  Los  Angeles.  He  was 
a  native  of  England,  born  February  10,  1801.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  shipped  on  a  whaler  and  came  out  to  the  Pacific 
ocean.  He  came  to  California  in  1817.  He  landed  at  Cape 
St.  Lucas,  in  Lower  California,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was 
engaged  as  seaman  on  vessels  along  the  Mexican  coast.  In 
1828  he  was  Captain  of  his  own  vessel,  the  "Dolly,"  engaged 
in  the  coasting  trade  between  San  Francisco,  Monterey,  Santa 
Barbara,  San  Pedro,  and  San  Diego.  Some  people  are  unkintf 
enough  to  intimate  that  his  marine  operations  were  in  the 
line  of  smuggling.  If  so,  it  was  not  considered  much  of  a 
crime  in  those  days. 

Miguel  Blanco  received  a  grant  of  the  Cajon  de  Muscu- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          99 

piabe  rancho  in  1843.  He  obtained  this  grant  on  condition 
that  he  reside  on  the  land  and  endeavor  to  keep  the  Indian 
raiders  out  of  the  valley.  The  grant  originally  consisted  of 
one  league  of  land,  but  it  must  have  been  of  an  expanding 
nature,  for  it  "grew  and  it  grew"  until  it  covered  some  eleven 
leagues  and  caused  considerable  trouble. 

In  1831  Miguel  Blanco  married  Maria  del  Rosario  Guillen. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Bulalia  Perez,  who  was  famous  as  be- 
ing a  woman  of  advanced  years,  "the  oldest  woman  in  the 
world,"  supposed  to  be  many  years  over  one  hundred  years  of 
age  at  date  of  death. 

Mr.  White  owned  considerable  property  near  San  Gabriel 
mission,  where  he  resided  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life, 
but  finally  losing  his  property,  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  where 
he  died  February  28.  1855.  He  left  a  large  family  of  children 
and  grandchildren. 


100         HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  NEW  MEXICAN  PIONEERS— LA  PLACITA  DE  LOS 
TRUJILLOS— AGUA  MANSA. 

Foreigners  visited  California  prior  to  1825,  but  the  high- 
way over  which  they  journeyed  was  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
whether  from  norm,  south,  east  or  west  it  was  always 
the  same.  The  mountains  and  desert  appeared  to  put  an 
impassable  inland  barrier  between  California  and  the  terri- 
tory on  the  east,  and  the  land  beyond  the  Sierras  was  terra 
Incognita  which  the  feet  of  white  men  had  not  trodden. 

Jedediah  S.  Smith  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company 
was  the  first  white  man  to  enter  California  overland.  He 
started  from  the  Yellowstone  River,  August,  1826,  with  a  par- 
ty of  fifteen  men,  intent  on  a  hunting  and  exploring  expedi- 
tion. Their  course  was  down  the  Colorado  River  to  the  Mo- 
Jave  villages,  where  they  found  two  wandering  neophyte  In- 
dians, who  guided  them  across  the  desert  to  San  Gabriel 
Mission.  They  were  not  welcome  visitors,  and  though  the 
Californians  furnished  them  with  supplies,  of  which  the  Smith 
party  were  sorely  in  need,  they  were  not  invited  to  remain. 

Smith  appears  to  have  camped  in  the  vicinity  of  San 
Bernardino,  for  from  this  place  he  sent  a  letter  to  Padre 
Sanchez,  of  San  Gabriel,  begging  for  relief  as  they  were  in 
a  destitute  condition.  As  they  were  supposed  to  have  left 
the  country  this  fact  aroused  suspicion  in  the  minds  of  the 
Californians  and  orders  were  issued  for  the  detention  of  the 
whole  party,  but  before  the  orders  could  be  carried  out 
Smith  had  left  San  Bernardino  and  was  moving  northward. 
In  this  party  were  a  number  of  New  Mexican  hunters  and 


HISTOKY  OF  SAN  BEENAEDINO  VALLEY.          101 

trappers  and  through  these  men  reports  of  California  were 
carried  into  New  Mexico. 

In  1830  a  trapping  party  was  organized  at  Taos,  under 
William  Wolfskill  and  Ewing  Young,  to  come  into  California 
and  hunt  the  waters  of  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  Val- 
leys. The  party  failed  fo  cross  the  mountains  between  Vir- 
gin River  and  the  rivers  diverging  into  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  the  men  becoming  discouraged,  through  their  suff- 
erings with  the  cold,  the  line  of  travel  was  changed  and  the 
party  went  to  Los  Angeles,  where  they  arrived  February, 
1831. 

They  had  brought  with  them  a  quantity  of  "serapes"  and 
"frasadas"  (woolen  blankets)  for  the  purpose  of  trading  with 
fhe  Indians,  planning  to  exchange  them  for  beaver  skins. 
They  disposed  of  these  blankets  to  the  California  rancheros, 
exchanging  for  mules,  and  with  them  returned"  to  New  Mex- 
ico. The  mules  were  fine,  large  animals,  superior  to  those  of 
New  Mexico,  and  when  their  destination  was  reached,  caused 
much  favorable  comment.  From  this  began  a  trade  between 
the  two  sections  of  country  which  flourished  for  ten  or 
twelve  years.  Caravans  crossed  the  desert  yearly  bringing 
woolen  goods  from  New  Mexico  and  exchanging  them  fo> 
mules,  silks  and  Chinese  goods  obtained  in  California. 

Los  Angeles  was  the  central  point  for  this  New  Mexican 
trade.  It  came  by  the  way  of  the  Green  and  Virgin  River 
routes,  through  the  Cajon  Pass  to  Los  Angeles.  From  there 
it  distributed  over  the  country  from  San  Diego  to  San  Jose 
and  across  the  bay  to  Sonoma  and  San  Rafael.  After  dis- 
posing of  the  goods  brought,  the  traders  made  purchase  of 
what  they  wished  to  carry  back  and  what  mules  they  could 
drive,  and  again  concentrated  at  Los  Angeles  for  their  yearly 
return. 

Between  1831  and  1844  a  number  of  native  New  Mexicans, 
and  some  foreigners,  came  through  with  these  trading  parties 


102          HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

in  search  of  homes  in  this  country.  It  was  at  a  time  when 
owners  of  tne  large  ranches  were  experiencing  much  trouble 
from  tne  depredations  of  Indians  and  they  were  very  glad  to 
make  allotments  of  lands  to  colonists,  asking  only  in  return 
the  help  of  settlers  in  protecting  the  stock  on  the  rancnes 
from  the  Indians. 

In  1842  Don  Lorenzo  Trujillo  brought  the  first  colony  of 
settlers  from  New  Mexico  to  this  section  of  the  country.  The 
Lugos  made  them  a  donation  of  land  about  one-half  mile  south 
of  the  Indian  village  of  La  Politana.  Among  these  colonists 
were  William  Walker,  Julian  Rowland  and  Benito  Wilson. 
Walker  and  Rowland  had  married  Mexican  women;  and  later, 
Wilson  married  a  daughter  of  Don  Bernardo  Yorba.  Wilson 
was  at  one  time  half  owner  of  the  rancho  belonging  to  M. 
Louis  Rubidoux,  on  which  the  city  of  Riverside  is  now  located. 
Walker  and  Rowland  removed  to  Los  Angeles  and  afterwards 
owned  La  Puente  rancho. 

After  remaining  about  two  years  on  the  Lugo  donation, 
Don  Lorenzo,  and  four  other  families  of  colonists  were  in- 
duced to  remove  to  a  donation  of  land  made  them  by  Don 
Juan  Bandini  of  the  Jurupa  rancho.  This  donation  consist- 
ed of  a  large  tract  of  land  extending  along  the  Santa  Ana 
river  bottoms  for  a  considerable  distance  and  which  was  fer- 
tile and  well  watered.  Here  they  founded  the  early  settle- 
ment known  as  "La  Placita  de  los  Trujillos," — the  Little 
Town  of  the  Trujillos.  The  original  settlers  of  the  Placita 
were:  Don  Lorenzo  Trujillo;  Jose  Antonio  Martinez;  Juan 
J.'irarnillo;  HJpolito  Espinosa  and  Dona  Feliciana  Valdez  de 
Jaia*nillo.  The  Placita  was  located  on  the  west  corner  of 
I.onia  district  in  San  Bernardino  county. 

The  Placita  was  built  in  a  semi-circle  around  a  small 
plaza.  As  soon  as  the  Bouses  were  completed  a  church 
was  built  in  the  center  of  the  plaza.  It  was  a  rude  structure 
with  neitner  doors  .windows  or  benches.  An  altar  was 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          103 

erected  and  services  conducted  by  Padre  Francisco  Sanchez, 
a  priest  from  San  Gabriel.  Don  Lorenzo  Trujillo  was  appoint- 
ed, by  Don  Bandini,  commissioner  to  distribute  the  lands. 
Miguel  Ochoa  taught  the  children  of  La  Placita  for  many 
years,  and  has  the  honor  of  being  the  first  school  teacher  in 
San  Bernardino  county. 

In  1843  a  second  party  of  colonists,  commanded  by  Don 
Jose  Tomas  Salazar,  arrived  at  La  Politana.  In  1845  these 
colonists  removed  one  mile  northeast  of  La  Placita  and  there 
founded  the  village  known  as  Agua  Mansa.  The  name  Agua 
Mansa,  meaning  gentle  water,  was  descriptive  of  the  smooth- 
ly flowing,  limpid  waters  of  the  Santa  Ana  river,  along  the 
banks  of  which  the  settlement  was  located.  Among  the 
settlers  of  this  second  colony  were  Louis  Rubidoux  and  Chris- 
tobal  Slover.  Both  had  married  Mexican  women.  Rubidoux 
afterwards  removed  to  the  Jurupa  rancho,  and  Slover  lived  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  mountain  bearing  his  name,  near 
Colton,  and  there  continued  to  reside  until  on  a  hunting  trip,' 
he  met  his  death  from  the  claws  of  a  bear.  Slover  Mountain 
was  originally  known  by  the  Indain  name  of  Tahualtapa — 
meaning  Raven  Hill  ,and  which  in  the  early  days  was  nesting 
place  for  large  flocks  of  ravens. 

Ignacio  Moya  was  appointed  first  Alcalde  of  Agua  Mansa, 
but  he  resigned  and  the  people  appointed  Don  Louis  Rubi- 
doux to  succeed  him.  His  jurisdiction  was  La  Placita  and 
Agua  Mansa. 

The  colonists  were  employed  not  only  as  vaqueros  on  the 
ranchos,  but  also  acted  in  the  capacity  of  soldiers.  The 
famous  Ute  Indian  chief  Cuaka--best  known  as  Walker — was 
very  active  about  this  time  and  his  repeated  depredations  on 
the  stock  of  the  settlers  were  very  annoying.  It  was  Walker's 
boast  that  the  rancheros  were  only  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
valley  as  stock  raisers  for  his  especial  benefit.  Nearly  every 
full  moon  he  came  down  from  the  mountains  with  his  band 


104          HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

of  Indians  and  these  incursions  generally  resulted  in  loss  to 
the  settlers.  The  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  running  the 
stock  into  the  canyons,  and  there  departing  from  the  trails, 
drive  them  up  over  the  mountain  and  down  the  other  side  of 
the  range  into  trie  desert.  When  they  had  accumulated  a 
sufficient  number  of  horses  they  were  taken  across  the  desert 
and  they  found  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  the  animals  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  which  was  their  usual  destination.  The  set- 
tlers were  armed  with  rifles  and  were  expert  in  their  use.  In 
protecting  the  Bandini  stock  they  had  many  fierce  battles 
with  the  Indians.  They  usually  fought  on  horseback,  but 
sometimes  it  was  necessary  to  follow  the  Indians  into  the 
mountains  and  there  dismounting,  continue  the  pusuit  on  foot 
until  the  Indians  were  overtaken  and  the  stock  recovered; 
but  they  were  not  always  successful  in  recovering  the  stock. 
One  of  their  fights  took  place  in  the  mountains  southeast  of 
where  the  town  of  Highgrove  is  now  situated.  The  Indians, 
after  capturing  sixty  head  of  horses,  escaped  through  a  path 
between  the  mountains.  In  this  battle  Doroteo  Trujillo  was 
shot  in  the  back  with  an  arrow;  Esquipula  Trujillo  was  shot 
through  the  nose,  and  Teodoro  Trujillo  was  shot  in  the  right 
foot.  They  succeeded  in  recapturing  the  stock. 

The  church  of  La  Placita,  being  only  a  temporary  affair, 
did  not  long  withstand  the  action  of  the  elements,  and  the 
people,  recognizing  the  necessity  of  a  more  substantial  build- 
ing, were  called  together  in  a  public  meeting  to  take  steps 
for  building  a  new  church.  It  was  a  community  affair  and 
the  settlers  of  La  Placita  and  Agua  Mansa  responded  to  the 
call.  They  chose  as  commissioners,  for  the  purpose  of  rais- 
ing funds  and  selecting  a  site:  Don  Ignacio  Palomares,  Don 
Ricardo  Bejar  and  Ramon  Ybarra.  After  going  up  and  down 
the  river  the  commissioners  decided  to  build  the  new  church 
at  Agua  Mansa.  As  money  was  not  plentiful,  all  the  settlers 


HISTOKY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.         105 

turned  out  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  buflding.  Some  made 
adobes,  others  prepared  cement,  and  others  hauled  timbers 
and  lumber  from  the  mountains.  Joaquin  Moya  owned  twelve 
or  fourteen  yoke  of  oxen  and  hauled  most  of  the  lumber  from 
Aliso's  mill;  Pablo  Velarde,  a  mason  .laid  the  adobes;  Mig- 
uel Bustamente  roofed  the  building.  They  began  the  building 
in  1851  and  completed  it  in  1852.  When  finished  ,the  church 
was  dedicated  to  San  Salvador,  but  it  became  better  known  as 
the  "Little  Church  of  Agua  Mansa."  Padre  Amable  was 
first  to  officiate,  and  from  that  date  to  the  present  an  unbrok- 
en record  of  the  marriages,  births,  and  deaths  of  the  parish 
has  been  preserved.  These  records  are  now  in  keeping  of 
the  church  at  San  Bernardino. 

The  year  1862  was  a  year  to  be  remembered  by  the  set- 
tlers of  San  Bernardino  valley.  This  was  the  year  of  the  great 
flood,  which  culminated  on  the  night  of  January  22,  and 
wrought  great  destruction  and  desolation.  It  rained  contin- 
uously for  fifteen  days  and  nights.  The  gentle  Santa  Ana 
river  became  a  raging  torrent,  which  rushing,  swirling  and 
seething,  swept  everything  from  its  path.  The  settlers  p,wolr<» 
in  alarm.  The  inhabitants  of  La  Placita  rushed  to  the  Cerro 
de  Harpero — the  hill  west  of  Loma  district;  those  of  Agua 
Mansa  took  refuge  in  the  little  church  which  seemed  to  offer 
a  place  of  safety.  The  church  and  the  house  of  Cornelius 
Jensen,  opposite  the  church,  were  the  only  buildings  on  high 
ground  and  the  only  ones  that  escaped  destruction  in  the 
flood. 

When  the  morning  dawned  it  showed  a  scene  of  desola- 
tion. The  village  of  Agua  Mansa  was  completely  washed 
away,  and  where  flowers  bloomed  and  trees  had  been  planted, 
a  waste  or  muddy,  turbulent  water  met  the  gaze.  Nothing  re- 
mained of  the  little  village  but  the  church,  which  stood  upon 
higher  ground,  some  distance  from  the  river.  The  settlers 
were  left  entirely  destitute  and  some  assistance  was  sent 


106 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 


them  from  Los  Angeles  to  enable  them  to  build  their  homes 
upon  higher  ground  far  enough  from  the  river  to  escape  future 
danger  from  its  overflow.  The  settlement  again  flourished, 
but  never  did  the  people  trust  the  river  which  had  twice 
treacherously  deceived  them  and  wrought  destruction  to  the 
work  of  their  hands. 

A  local  poet,  Don  Antonio  Prieto,  wrote  of  this  flood  as: 

El  veinte  y  dos  de  Enero 

Que  desgracia  tan  atroz 

Bajo  una  grande  corriente, 

For  la  voluntad  de  dios. 

The  Little  Church  of  Agua  Mansa  remained  standing  for 
many  years,  but  at  last,  yielding  to  the  ruthless  hand  of  time, 
t  too  passed  away.  Barely  a  trace  of  it  remains.  The  bell, 
~?st  in  the  sands  of  the  hillside  near  Agua  Mansa,  was  dedi- 
cated to  "Nuestra  Senora  de  Guadalupe" — Our  Lady  of  Guada- 
lupe — stood  for  a  long  time  outside  of  the  church  of  the  Holy 
Rosary  at  Colton,  but  was  at  last  elevated  to  the  little  church 
Belfry,  where,  old,  cracked,  and  badly  defaced,  it  still  calls 
the  people  to  worship. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          107 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MEXICAN   PIONEERS— RELIGIOUS,     SOCIAL     AND     DO- 
MESTIC CUSTOMS. 

The  law  of  life  is  change.  Impermanency  marks  the 
pathway  of  progress.  Inanition  is  stagnation  and  stagnation 
is  death.  So  it  is  found  in  the  customs  of  a  people.  Every 
new  influence,  however  slight,  leaves  an  impress  and  all  tend 
toward  the  fulfillment  of  the  immutable  law. 

The  social  and  domestic  customs  of  the  early  Mexican 
pioneers  of  California  were  those  of  Spain,  and  yet  not  en- 
tirely Spanish.  To  conform  with  life  in  the  newer  world  and 
to  meet  new  surroundings  and  conditions,  innovations  were 
necessary,  and  these,  becoming  engrafted  upon  older  cus- 
toms, individualized  themselves  and  became  a  part  of  Mexi- 
can life,  with  usages  distinctly  foreign  to  those  of  the  people 
from  which  they  sprang.  These  customs  in  turn  were  sup- 
planted by  others  and  have  in  their  turn  passed  away,  until, 
becoming  traditional,  they  remain  only  in  the  memory  of 
a  few  surviving  Mexican  pioneers  ,of  whose  life  they  were 
once  a  part.  This  chapter  on  the  religious,  social  and  do- 
mestic customs  of  the  early  Mexican  pioneers  is  compiled 
from  manuscript  furnished  by  Mr.  M.  M.  Alvarado,  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  early  Mexican  pioneer  families,  and 
F.  V.  Archuleta,  whose  kindness  and  genuine  courtesy  is  here 
by  gratefully  acknowledged. 

There  Is  much  error  prevailing  with  regard  to  the  num- 
ber of  Mexican  families  in  California  in  the  early  days. 
When  compared  to  the  Americans,  and  other  foreigners 


108          HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

they,  of  course,  outnumbered  them,  but  not  to  the  extent 
generally  imagined. 

At  the  coming  of  the  Americans  into  the  country  there 
were  in  San  Bernardino  valley  four  Lugo  families:  Diego 
Sepulveda  in  Yucaipa;  the  Bermudas  family  in  La  Canada 
de  San  Timeteo,  and  some  twenty-five  families  of  new  Mexi- 
cans on  the  Santa  Ana  river,  from  near  Slover  mountain  to 
about  three  miles  below.  There  were  a  few  families  at  San 
Jose  (Pomona  and  Spadra),  San  Gabriel,  La  Mission  Vieja, 
Los  Nietos,  and  quite  a  town  at  Los  Angeles,  Santa  Barbara 
and  Monterey;  the  other  hamlets  consisted  of  from  one  to 
three  dozen  families,  and  such  communities  did  not  reacu 
twenty  in  number.  Another  fact,  which  will  give  some  idea 
of  the  Mexican  population,  is  that  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  the  whole  number  of 
men  that  could  possibly  be  pressed  into  service  did  not  reach 
six  hundred. 

It  was  quite  natural  that  the  Mexican  families  should  be 
intimately  acquainted  with  each  other.  They  were  almost 
entirely  dependent  upon  themselves  and  their  intercourse 
with  one  another  extended  from  San  Diego  to  Santa  Barbara 
and  from  Santa  Barbara  to  Vallejo.  A"  family  would  decide 
to  make  a  visit  to  some  relative,  or  to  attend  a  fiesta,  at  one 
of  the  mentioned  places.  When  preparations  for  the  journey 
were  completed  the  inevitable  carreta,  drawn  by  oxen,  was 
made  ready  for  the  women.  The  men  always  traveled  on 
horseback.  The  carreta  was  a  rude  conveyance,  but  the  only 
kind  of  wheeled  vehicle  in  the  country.  It  was  constructed 
entirely  of  wood  and  consisted  of  two  wooden  wheels,  a 
wooden  axle  and  a  wooden  rack.  It  was  manufactured 
mainly  with  an  axe,  an  adze  and  coyundas  (hide  straps). 
Travel  in  this  conveyance  was  necessarily  slow;  but  on  the 
other  hand  it  had  its  advantages  in  the  benefit  derived  from 
the  pure  air  and  magnificent  scenery  spread  out  before  the 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .          109 

travelers  like  a  panorama.  The  virgin  land  blossomed  with 
a  profusion  of  brilliant  hued  flowers  and  luxuriant  grasses, 
varied  here  and  there  with  wood-bordered  rivers,  barren 
mesas,  and  deep  arroyas.  Large  herds  of  cattle  grazed 
amidst  the  vegetation  and  for  diversion  to  relieve  the  monot- 
ony of  the  journey  the  men  of  the  party  occasionally  engag- 
ed in  a  dart  on  a  coleada  of  cows  or  steers.  A  coleada  con- 
sisted in  running  at  full  speed,  grasping  a  cow  by  its  tail 
and  throwing  her  head-over-heels.  It  was  considered  great 
sport  and  the  participants  enjoyed  it  immensely.  When  ev- 
ening came  the  party  would  stop  at  some  house  where  the:' 
were  acquainted  and  remain  for  the  night.  They  were  al- 
ways heartily  welcomed  and  hospitably  entertained.  All  ate 
at  the  same  table  and  slept  beneath  one  roof.  Sometimes, 
when  circumstances  favored,  the  evening  was  made  merry 
with  music,  dancing  and  singing.  Care  and  attertion  wer« 
lavished  en  the  guests  in  unstinted  measure,  and  the  whole 
effort  of  the  host  was  to  make  the  visitors  feel  at  homo.  To 
offer  to  pay  for  accommodation  of  this  kind  was  considered 
by  the  host  as  an  insult. 

While  intercourse  between  families,  whether  near  neigh- 
bors or  not,  was  much  the  same  all  over  the  country,  it  was 
the  invariable  custom  to  keep  the  young  people  of  both  sex- 
es separate.  In  mixed  company  and  at  social  and  religious 
gatherings  the  young  ladies  were  seated  by  themselves,  and 
the  young  men  were  instructed  that  it  was  ungentlemanly 
to  approach  the  young  ladies  except  when  social  right  and 
privilege  warranted.  Opinion  will  always  differ  as  to  the 
wisdom  of  this  custom  of  restriction,  but  by  avoiding  un- 
necessary freedom  it  certainly  avoided  immorality.  In  those 
days  young  people  arrived  at  manhood  and  womanhood  with 
all  the  pure,  unsullied  innocence  of  childhood  coupled  with 
the  vigor  of  ripening  maturity. 

Notwithstanding  the  restrictions  surrounding  the  young 


110          HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

men  and  women,  love  found  Its  way  much  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  it  does  today.  A  young  man  wishing  to  get  married 
would  notify  his  parents  of  his  choice,  and  if  they  were  fav- 
orable to  the  match  they  would  give  their  consent.  If  they 
considered  his  choice  unsuitable  they  endeavored  to  dis- 
suade him  from  the  match.  Similar  proceedings  were  taken 
in  the  case  of  a  young  girl  and  an  unworthy  suitor,  and  so 
well  were  children  trained  to  obedience  that  they  submitted 
to  the  decisiion  of  the  parents  and  the  affair  ended.  Excep- 
tions to  this  course  were  of  rare  occurrence.  In  case  no  ob- 
jection existed  on  either  side,  the  parents  of  the  young  man 
would  write  a  courteous  letter  to  the  parents  ot  the  young 
lady  requesting  the  hand  of  their  daughter  in  marriage  for 
their  son.  The  father  of  the  young  man  would  then  take  this 
letter  personally  to  the  father  of  the  young  lady.  After 
waiting  eight  days  the  father  of  the  young  lady  would  bring 
a  written  reply.  After  this,  as  soon  as  consistent  with  good 
manners,  the  whole  family  of  the  young  man's  father 
would  visit  the  family  of  the  young  lady,  taking  with  them 
the  "donas" — gifts,  consisting  of  jewelry  and  money,  which 
were  given  to  the  parents  of  the  bride-elect.  After  a  sump- 
tuous repast  all  the  details  of  the  marriage  would  be  arrang- 
ed by  the  contracting  parties.  Relatives  and  friends  from 
far  and  near  were  invited  to  the  wedding  fiesta  which  was 
given.  On  the  day  of  the  marriage  a  large  crowd  was  on 
hand,  some  of  the  people  coming  from  a  distance  of  fifty,  one 
hundred  and  more  miles.  The  marriage  would  sometimes 
take  place  at  the  church,  sometimes  at  the  house  of  the 
bride  or  the  groom.  As  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  completed 
the  guests  manifested  their  joy  and  congratulations  by  firing 
guns  and  by  music  prepared  for  the  occasion.  The  newly 
married  couple  would  next  repair  to  their  parents  and,  kneel- 
ing, ask  the  parental  blessings.  The  wedding  fiesta  lasted 
from  three  to  eight  days  and  during  that  time  the  guests 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .        Ill 

gave  themselves  up  to  pleasure  and  enjoyment.  The  fiesta 
entertainment  consisted  in  singing,  music,  dancing  and  oc- 
casionally a  horse  race,  bull  fight  or  a  toreada,  and  plenty  to 
eat  all  the  time. 

Three  religious  holidays  were  especially  observed  by  the 
early  Mexican  pioneers  of  this  vicinity — Corpus  Christi,  San 
Juan  and  Noche  Buena. 

Corpus  Christi,  according  to  the  established  rules  of  the 
church,  comes  on  Thursday,  sometimes  in  the  month  of  Ma> 
and  sometimes  in  June.  Several  altars  were  erected,  a  short 
distance  from  the  church,  and  in  commencing  the  religious 
ceremony  the  priest,  robed  in  vestments  proper  for  this  cele- 
bration, would  form  a  procession,  which  he  headed  .carrying  a 
reliquary,  or  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  assisted  by  two 
boys  with  the  incensory,  and  other  articles  used  in  the  cere- 
mony, and  these  were  followed  by  a  number  of  girls,  dressed 
in  white.  After  them  came  the  people  of  the  church  con- 
gregation. The  Reliquary  or  Blessed  Sacrament  was  placed 
on  each  altar  in  succession,  prayers  were  said,  accompanied 
by  singing  and  the  procession  ended  at  the  church  where  a 
high  mass  was  said.  This  ceremony  was  simple  but  most 
beautiful  and  full  of  meaning,  as  are  all  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church. 

San  Juan  day  was  celebrated  on  the  24th  of  June  each 
year.  After  high  mass  the  day  was  devoted  to  sports  of 
some  kind. 

Noche  Buena.  or  Christmas,  was  especially  important. 
Three  masses,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  were  held  during 
the  first  twelve  hours  of  the  day;  the  first  at  1  a.  m.,  another 
at  6  a.  m.,  and  the  last,  a  high  mass,  at  10  a.  m. 

The  people  were  possessed  of  a  deep  religious  feeling 
and  veneration  for  things  holy.  They  had  many  religious  ob- 
servances aside  from  these  mentioned.  Each  Friday  during 
Lent  the  people  met,  either  at  some  house  or  at  the  church, 


112          HISTOKY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

where  the  prayers  of  the  Via  Crucis  (Way  of  tne  Cross)  were 
recited.  From  Wednesday  to  Friday  night  of  Holy  Week  spe- 
cial religious  services  and  ceremonies  were  observed. 

The  early  Spanish  and  Mexican  pioneers  were  a  sociable 
people  and  indulged  in  several  characteristic  sports.  Pelia 
de  gallos,  or  cock  fights,  were  very  popular.  Some  person  in 
nearly  every  hamlet  or  rancho  was  possessor  of  fighting  cocks. 
When  two  roosters  were  to  meet  in  combat  the  owners  pre- 
pared them  by  special  training.  The  trainers  were  men  who 
understood  the  business — which  was  in  itself  as  much  of  a 
science  as  horse  racing,  and  required  of  the  trainer  knowl- 
edge, tact  and  judgment.  A  person  without  experience  could 
not  hope  for  success.  Much  care  was  taken,  especially  in 
tying  the  deadly  "navaja"  (a  blade)  just  above  the  spur  of  the 
rooster.  This  blade  was  four  or  five  inches  long,  pointed 
and  sharp  as  a  razor.  When  everything  was  in  readiness 
those  who  had  the  roosters  in  charge  would  take  them  in 
their  arms,  pique  them  against  each  other,  and  finally  place 
them  on  the  ground  two  or  three  feet  apart.  In  the  fight 
which  followed  one  of  the  roosters,  perhaps  slightly  wounded, 
might  run  away,  while  at  other  times  both  roosters  would 
be  killed  on  the  spot.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  bets  of  more 
or  less  value  were  staked  as  a  result  of  such  fights. 

"Corrida  de  gallos"  was  another  popular  sport.  On  the 
afternoon  of  San  Juan's  day  a  large  crowd  would  assemble  in 
some  place  where  the  ground  was  level  and  suitable  for  run- 
ning at  full  speed.  One  or  more  roosters  would  be  furnished 
by  some  person  with  the  given  name  of  Juan  or  Juana.  The 
fowl  was  buried  alive  leaving  only  the  head  above  the  ground. 
Men  riding  at  full  speed  on  horseback,  as  they  approached  the 
rooster  would  lower  themselves  by  the  side  of  the  horse  and 
make  an  attempt  to  pull  the  rooster  out  of  the  ground  by 
grasping  its  head.  This  was  not  an  easy  task  and  required 
skill  and  daring  horsemanship,  for  the  cock  would  dodge  its 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.        113 

head  whenever  any  one  tried  to  grasp  it.  Whoever  succeed- 
ed in  pulling  it  out  of  the  ground  would  start  on  a  full  run, 
followed  by  all  the  others  who  had  taken  part  in  the  coursing. 
If  overtaken  by  one  or  more  of  the  party,  he  had  to  look  out 
for  himself  as  the  competitor  would,  either  by  force  or  strat- 
egy, take  the  rooster  away.  In  retaining  possession  of  the 
rooster  and  defending  himself  from  attack  the  captor  was  con- 
sidered justified  in  striking  his  opponents  right  and  left  with 
the  yet  living  rooster.  The  cock  being  taken  away  from  the 
first  man  ,the  scene  was  repeated,  until  the  fowl  being  dead, 
was  severed  into  pieces  in  the  affray.  Then  another  cock 
would  be  furnished,  and  yet  another,  if  they  wanted  it,  until 
wearied  of  the  sport  all  were  ready  to  quit.  Sometimes  a 
purse  was  buried  in  the  ground  with  the  rooster  and  th?» 
money  went  to  the  man  who  pulled  ft  out.  If  anyone  showed 
anger  during  the  course  of  the  sport  he  was  considered  dis- 
graced. It  was  understood  that  those  taking  part  in  the  sport 
should  not  give  way  to  exhibition  of  temper. 

A  bull  fight  and  a  toreada  or  capateada  were  two  different 
sports.  A  bull  fight  was  an  encounter  between  a  bull  and 
a  bear.  Don  Jose  del  Carmen  Lugo,  when  living  at  Old  San 
Hornardino,  had  a  plaza  de  toros  (an  amphitheatre  for  bull 
fiphts>  where  they  engaged  in  that  kind  of  sport  on  the  15th 
of  August  for  some  years.  That  amphitheatre  was  simply  a 
I<lace  walled  in  by  large  adobes  with  seats  built  on  the  top 
of  the  wall.  Bears  were  numerous,  and  when  they  were 
wanled  they  were  usually  procured  in  the  neighborhood  where 
the  I;,sane  Asylum  now  stands  at  Highland.  The  bear  would 
be  lassoec!  hy  some  daring  horseman  and  brought  to  the  place 
of  the  fight  a  few  days  previous  to  the  day  of  the  event.  As 
ferocious  &  bull  as  could  be  found  would  be  brought  in  the 
same  way.  &nd  when  the  hour  of  the  fight  arrived  both  beasts 
were  turned  loose  together  in  the  amphitheatre.  It  did  not 
take  long  for  a  genuine  and  terrible  fight  to  b"egin  in  which 


114          HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

the  bull  was  always  killed,  but  the  bear  was  also  left  in  a  de- 
plorable condition,  gored  almost  to  death. 

In  the  sport  called  "torear,"  or  "toreada,"  no  bull  was 
killed.  A  wild  bull  would  be  turned  loose  in  the  corral,  or 
plaza  de  toros,  and  a  daring  vaquero  on  a  well-trained  horse 
would  ride  in  and  tantalize  the  bull,  until,  goaded  to  despera- 
tion ,the  bull  would  attack  them.  The  men  being  expert,  and 
on  well  trained  horses,  would  easily  evade  the  horns  of  the 
bull,  and  though  horses  were  sometimes  gored  it  was  seldom 
fatally.  Torear  was  a  sport  indulged  in,  not  only  in  inclosed 
places,  but  anywhere. 

Horse  races  were  the  most  common  and  the  most  popu- 
lar of  all  the  Mexican  sports.  Large  sums  of  money  were 
staked  on  these  races  and  numbers  of  stock  were  bet,  and  men 
frequently  traveled  hundreds  of  miles  to  see  or  to  make  a 
race.  A  place  in  open,  level  country  was  chosen,  and  the 
race  track  laid  out  and  prepared  in  straight  lines.  When  the 
tfay  for  the  race  arrived,  men,  women  and  children  came,  all 
attired  in  their  finest  clothing  and  riding  their  gayest  horses 
bedecked  with  silver  mounted  bridles  and  saddles.  If  the 
race  was  one  on  which  large  sums  of  money  had  been  staked 
nearly  all  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  attended  and  it  was 
considered  no  disgrace  to  bet  with  friends  or  neighbors.  Peo- 
ple won  or  lost  without  permitting  it  to  make  any  difference 
in  regard  to  their  friendly  and  social  relations.  After  the 
races  passed,  all  things  went  on  as  smoothly  as  before.  It 
was  the  only  sport  that  brought  on  a  shade  of  rivalry,  but  in 
that,  only  so  far  as  to  stimulate  a  desire  of  raising  or  owning 
the  swiftest  horse.  Races  in  those  days  were  not  as  detri- 
mental to  the  morals  of  the  people  as  they  seem  to  be  today. 
The  money  staked  was  usually  deposited  with  some  disinter- 
ested person  who  had  made  no  bet  on  the  result  of  the  races. 
If  horses  were  staked  in  the  race  they  would  be  tied  together 
in  couples.  Other  stock  might  have  been  bet  in  advance, 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .         115 

but  as  stated,  some  disinterested  person  always       acted  as 
stakeholder. 

There  were  two  ways  of  starting  the  horses  in  a  race.  One 
called  Santiago  parado  and  the  other  Santiago  andando.  By 
the  first  method  both  horses  would  be  standing  side  by  side; 
by  the  second  method  both  horses  would  be  on  a  waiK,  or  a 
short  trot,  and  at  the  word  "Santiago"  would  have  to  go.  ii. 
at  the  given  word,  one  of  the  horses  failed  to  start,  no  excuse 
was  accepted,  the  race  was  lost.  Men  who  made  a  business 
of  caring  for  race  horses  were  called  "magnates"  and  indeed 
they  were  magnates  in  their  line  of  work,  for  it  took  brains, 
patience  and  a  certain  knowledge  to  take  care  of  and  prop- 
erly train  a  race  horse. 

The  rodeo,  or  round-up,  was  a  regular  and  needed  insti- 
tution of  the  country.  There  were  many  wealthy  men  who 
owned  cattle  by  the  thousands,  others  had  a  few  hundred,  and 
still  ethers  only  a  few  head.  As  there  were  no  large  pas- 
tures fenced  in  the  stock  roamed  at  large  all  over  the  country 
and  the  cattle  of  different  owners  became  mixed.  When 
branding,  marking  and  gelding  time  approached,  after  the 
calving  season,  the  rodeos  would  be  in  order.  For  example, 
if  one  was  decided  upon  near  Slover  mountain  on  a  certain 
day,  all  the  rancheros  and  their  vaqueros  of  the  surrounding 
country  were  notified  of  the  fact  by  the  Juez  de  Campo.  On 
that  day,  early  in  the  morning,  all  the  men,  in  small  squads, 
from  all  around  the  objective  point,  would  drive  the  cattle  to 
the  rodeo  where  it  would  all  be  centered  by  nine  or  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  If  there  were  any  cattle  belonging  to  other 
than  the  owner  of  the  ranch  where  the  rodeo  was  held,  it  was 
separated  from  the  balance  and  driven  home  by  its  owner 
until  ready  to  brand.  If  there  were  only  a  few  head  this 
branding  was  occasionally  done  at  the  rodeo.  Usually  though, 
the  process  of  branding,  marking,  and  gelding  followed  the  ro- 


116         HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

deo.  The  stock  was  driven  to  the  corral  where  a  few  expert 
"lazadores"  (men  who  throw  the  riata)  would  lasso  the  cows, 
steers  or  calves  by  their  feet,  throw  them  down;  another  man 
would  come  with  the  hot  fierro  (branding-iron)  and  apply  it 
to  the  left  hip  of  the  fallen  animal,  and  after  that  would  cut 
off  a  small  piece,  in  some  particular  shape,  or  split  the  ear,  and 
finally  geld  it.  There  were  men  so  expert  in  this  kind  of 
work  that  it  was  not  uncommon  for  one  man  to  do  it  all,  with 
no  assistance  but  his  horse.  There  was  a  great  deal  of 
work  attached  to  cattle  raising  through  all  its  different  stages, 
but  no  intricacies,  and  most  any  common  horseman  or  vaquero 
could  attend  to  all  branches.  Rodeos  were  held  at  all  the 
large  ranches  on  different  dates,  and  men  attending  always 
found  their  missing  cattle. 

This  was  not  a  farming  community,  but  the  people  raised 
nearly  everything  they  used  to  eat.  It  was  necessary  to  raise 
grain  and  other  foood  products.  Corn,  wheat,  barley,  pota- 
toes, lentils,  chic  peas,  sweet  peas,  a  very  large  bean  called 
haba,  vegetables  and  garden  products  for  seasoning  were  cul- 
tivated. Among  the  last  mentioned  the  principal  were  the 
traditional  chile  verde  (green  pepper)  onions,  garlic,  tomatoes, 
coriander,  majoram  and  saffron.  Wheat  and  barley  were  cut 
with  sickles  and  made  into  small  sheaves.  Beans  and  peas 
were  pulled  out  and  bunched  and  taken  to  the  "era."  The 
era  was  a  place  cleaned  out  and  irrigated,  and  then  sheep  and 
other  stock  driven  over  it  to  harden  the  surface,  and  which 
was  finally  inclosed  with  a  strong  fence.  The  grain,  peas 
or  beans  once  in  the  era,  a  large  band  of  horses  were  driven 
in  and  around  until  it  was  threshed.  The  time  taken  to 
thresh  would  depend  on  the  size  of  the  pile  of  grain.  After 
threshing,  when  the  wind  began  to  blow,  the  men  would  take 
their  forks  and  toss  the  straw  up  into  the  air  and  the  wind 
would  carry  the  straw  away  leaving  the  grain.  This  work 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.         117 

was  continued  until  very  little  straw  remained,  when  the 
"pala"  was  used  to  finish  up.  The  pala  was  a  piece  of  board 
a  foot  and  a  half  long  by  a  foot  wide  attached  to  a  long  handle. 
The  time  used  for  threshing  and  cleaning  in  this  way  was  sev- 
eral days  and  a  few  weeks  of  it  amounted  to  a  great  deal  and 
required  the  use  of  several  eras.  Corn  was  piled  up  in  the 
ear  and  beaten  with  a  heavy  stick  having  the  effect  of  shelling 
mpst  of  it.  This  was  slow  work,  but  it  was  the  only  way  it 
could  be  done  in  those  days. 

Mission  grapes  were  abundant;  the  making  of  wine  was 
common  and  understood  by  many.  The  grapes  were  picked 
and  spread  out  in  the  sun  about  long  enough  to  wither  them. 
After  this  they  were  placed  in  tinas  and  trod  thoroughly  by 
foot.  The  tinas  were  made  from  hides  cleansed  and  pre- 
pared specially  for  the  purpose,  and  hung  and  arranged  be- 
tween four  posts  so  as  to  hold  the  grapes  and  juice  without 
spilling.  To  crush  the  grapes  af  times  a  "trapiche"  was  used. 
The  trapiche  was  a  simple  contrivance  of  a  roller  with  a  har- 
dle  and  worked  by  hand.  When  fermentation  began  the  juice 
was  strained,  placed  in  barrels  and  left  for  a  certain  length 
of  time.  It  was  examined  now  and  then  and  cared  for  to  pre- 
vent turning  into  vinegar.  At  the  end  of  a  few  months  the 
wine  was  ready  to  use,  but  the  longer  it  was  kept  the  better 
it  grew  with  age. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Mexicans  did  not  know  how  to 
cook.  Such  assertions  were  made  By  people  who  did  not  know 
them  and  had  never  associated  with  them.  While  they  do  not 
cook  the  so-called  fancy  dishes,  their  food,  especially  in  days 
past,  was  nourishing,  wholesome  and  digestible.  Indigestion, 
dyspepsia  and  kindred  ailments  were  unknown,  while  today 
they  are  as  subject  to  these  diseases  as  are  other  people. 

There  were  no  stoves  in  the  early  days,  but  in  their  stead 
fireplaces  of  mud  and  stones.  They  were  built  in  a  semi- 


118         HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

circular  form,  varying  from  a  foot  and  a  half  to  three  feet 
long  ,and  from  one  to  two  feet  wide,  and  about  one  foot  high, 
with  bars  across  the  top  to  hold  the  pots.  To  bake  bread 
"hornos"  (ovens)  were  built  of  bricks  and  mud,  on  the  same 
principle  as  bakers'  ovens  are  built  at  present.  Tortillas  were 
oaked  on  large  pieces  of  iron  called  "comales." 

Everyone  is  familiar  with  the  making  of  tortillas,  tamales 
and  enchilades,  but  there  were  other  fools  prepared  which  are 
not  so  well  known,  namely,  puchero,  estofado,  albondigas  and 
colache. 

To  make  puchero  select  pieces  of  meat  were  placed  to 
boil  until  it  made  froth,  when  that  was  thrown  out.  Then 
to  the  meat  and  broth  were  added  green  corn,  string  beans, 
garlic,  onions,  cabbage,  squash,  carrots  and  a  few  of  the  spicy 
weeds,  and  all  boiled  until  the  vegetables  were  well  cooked. 
To  prepare  estofado,  some  pieces  of  meat  with  lard  were 
placed  on  the  fire,  and  after  a  short  time  dry  grapes  were  add- 
ed and  left  until  well  cooked.  Then  slices  of  bread,  sugar  and 
some  spice  were  added  and  again  placed  on  the  fire  for  a  short 
while.  Albondigas  were  made  from  the  sirloin  of  the  beef. 
The  meat  was  well  ground  on  a  metate,  or  otherwise;  to  it 
were  added  onions,  black  pepper,  coriander  and  yerba  buena 
(a  species  of  mint).  All  these  were  made  into  a  dough  or 
paste,  and  from  this  little  balls  were  shaped  and  cooked  in 
boiling  water.  Colache  was  a  common  dish,  wholesome  and 
easily  cooked.  Some  lard  was  thoroughly  heated,  and  in  that 
squash  cut  up  fine,  green  corn,  also  cut  up,  some  cheese  and 
meat,  all  being  cooked  together. 

The  dress  of  the  men  was  very  much  the  same  as  shown 
in  the  pictured  representations.  California  was  a  stock  coun- 
try, and  as  nearly  all  were  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  stock 
raising  they  wore  what  was  called  "botas  de  haya."  These 
were  large  pieces  of  leather,  some  of  common  and  some  of 


119 

fancy  workmanship,  wrapped  and  secured  around  the  legs  be- 
low the  knee.  They  were  worn  by  men  when  chasing  cattle, 
to  protect  their  limbs  from  trees  or  chaparral. 

The  dress  of  the  women  was  not  vastly  different  from  that 
worn  at  present,  except  in  the  articles  of  apparel  known  as 
euaguas  or  tunicos,  rebosos  and  tapalos.  It  was  a  common 
thing,  before  the  coming  of  the  Americans,  for  the  women  to 
wear  enaguas  or  tunicos  (gowns)  of  pure  silk,  which,  of 
course,  differed  in  color  and  pattern.  The  material  from 
which  such  garments  were  made  was  brought  from  Spain  di- 
rectly to  Mexico;  thence  to  New  Mexico,  California  and  other 
places.  Such  garments  were  high  priced  and  frequently 
banded  down  as  heirlooms  from  one  generation  to  another. 
Tlie  reboso  was  a  long  shawl  of  different  colors  with  fringes  at 
the  borders;  some  of  pure  silk  and  some  mixed  with  other  ma- 
terial. The  tapalo  was  also  a  shawl,  but  a  square  one  with 
fringes  on  its  four  sides  and  plenty  of  fancy  embroidery  all 
o\er  it.  These  were  of  pure  silk,  very  costly  and  only  a  few 
women  could  afford  them.  The  rebosos  and  tapalos  were 
gracefully  used  by  women  so  as  to  cover  the  head  and  then 
thrown  over  or  around  the  shoulders  and  chest.  A  beautiful 
woman  wearing  one  of  these  fancy  tapalos  presented  a  most 
charming  an3  elegant  picture. 

The  early  Mexicans  had  so  mucn  respect  for  their  word 
that  it  was  not  lightly  given  and  when  once  given  it  was  sa- 
credly kept.  In  business  affairs  of  all  kinds,  in  social  inter- 
course or  particular  doings  a  man's  word  once  pledged  was 
held  binding.  Written  documents  were  not  considered  neces- 
sary. Sometimes  writing  was  used,  but  not  generally.  If  a 
contract  between  two  or  more  parties  was  entered  into  it  was 
done  by  verbal  agreement,  observed  and  adhered  to  strictly. 
A  person  might  make  a  deal,  trade  or  purchase  from  another 
about  stock,  land,  money  or  any  other  matter,  and  their  word 
was  their  document,  binding  and  kept  sacred  until  death. 


1£6          filgTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

These  methods  no  doubt  seem  lax  and  unbusinesslike,  viewed 
in  the  light  of  today;  and  yet  such  was  the  native  virtue  of 
these  people  that  pecuniary  loss  was  welcomed  sooner  than 
soil  or  tarnish  their  honor.  As  an  example  it  is  worthy  of 
emulation  and  practice. 

Unfortunately  a  change  came,  and  that  change,  under 
such  circumstances,  was  ruinous  to  their  welfare.  Take  for 
example  holders  of  land.  There  were  large  numbers  of  fami- 
lies who  could  not  present  a  better  title  to  ownership  than 
possession  and  the  word  of  another,  perhaps  dead,  or  bought 
out.'  Such  facts  could  not  avail  or  help  them  against  estab- 
lished or  newly  enacted  laws  which  clearly  denned  matters 
regarding  ownership  or  acquisition  of  land.  It  was  not 
strange  then  to  see  individuals  or  corporations  take  advan- 
tage of  such  state  of  affairs  in  order  to  acquire  either  small  or 
large  tracts  of  land,  frequently  lawfully,  but  many  times  un- 
justly. These  doings  gave  rise  to  endless  litigation  and  de- 
spoiled many  Mexican  families  of  their  land  all  over  the 
State. 

Much  could  be  writter  illustrative  of  their  filial  love  and 
courage.  Children,  whether  grown  or  not,  for  the  sake  of 
their  love  to  their  parents,  would  make  any  sacrifice,  how- 
ever great,  if  it  would  save  them  from  a  tear  or  sorrow. 
Young  men,  on  the  point  of  leaving  home  for  a  short  or  pro- 
longed absence,  on  their  knees  would  ask  for  the  parental 
blessing;  they  would  depart  carrying  engraved  in  their  mem- 
ory, always  Bearing  in  their  heart,  the  advice  and  undying 
love  of  the  dear  ones  left  behind. 

Two  short  anecdotes  will  be  sufficient  to  illustrate  their 
courage.  On  one  occasion,  Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo  and  his 
son  Jose  Maria,  when  on  one  of  their  rounds  after  cattle,  las- 
soed a  bear.  The  old  gentleman  handed  his  son  a  machete 
(a  short  sword)  and  told  him  to  get  down  and  kill  the  beast, 
which  the  young  man  did  without  hesitation.  Francisco  Alva- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .        121 

rado,  son  of  the  Mayor-domo  at  San  Bernardino,  Viejo,  once 
lassoed  a  half  grown  bear,  tied  him  to  a  juniper  tree  from  one 
end  of  the  riata,  then  cut  a  stick  of  wood  about  a  yard  long 
and  approached  the  animal  as  though  he  would  allow  himself 
to  get  hugged.  The  bear  would  rise  on  his  hind  legs  and 
reaching  out  with  his  fore  feet  would  try  to  reach  Alvarado. 
Quick  as  lightening  Alvarado  would  give  him  a  blow  on  his 
paws,  when  the  brute  would  draw  them  back  and  howl. 
Again  the  act  would  be  repeated,  until  Alvarado,  tired  of  the 
fun,  killed  the  bear  with  his  knife,  taking  the  skin  home  as  a 
trophy. 

This  is  a  brief  description  of  a  few  of  the  religious,  so- 
cial and  domestic  customs  of  the  early  Mexican  pioneers.  In 
honor,  honesty  and  true  manliness  the  men  of  that  day  will 
stand  comparison  with  the  men  of  any  nation;  the  women 
were  marvels  of  love,  purity  and  devotion  unsurpassed  by 
those  of  any  nation  or  clime.  The  time  was  one  of  primitive 
simplicity  and  social  equality.  The  people  as  a  whole  were 
happy  and  contented. 

The  passing  years  have  wrought  many  changes  to  the 
people  and  to  the  State.  Most  of  the  old  pioneer  settlers  hav* 
passed  away.  Their  descendants  are  scattered,  some  of  them 
having  fallen  on  evil  days,  are  the  victims  of  distressing  pov- 
erty; but  many  of  them,  in  spite  of  the  disadvantages  unde> 
which  they  labor,  still  maintain  the  traditional  virtues  of 
their  fathers. 

Those  now  residing  near  tEe  old  La  Placita,  which  they 
founded,  are:  Antonio  Atencio,  born  in  1838;  Esquipula  Gar- 
cia, born  1818;  Tomas  Archuleta,  born  1834;  Jose  Antonio 
Martinez,  born  1842;  Mrs.  Teodoro  Trujillo  (Miss  Peregrine 
Gonzalez),  born  1828;  Mrs.  Jose  Antonio  Martinez  (Miss  Flor- 
entine Garcia),  born  1828;  Mrs.  Miguel  Alvarado  (Miss  Ascen- 
cion  Martinez),  who  was  born  at  La  Politana  a  few  months 
before  her  parents  removed  to  La  Placita. 

In  the  county  remain  three  other  Mexican  pioneers  who 


122          HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

should  receive  mention  in  these  pages.     Miguel  Bermudaz  of 
San  Timeteo  canyon,  who,  despite  his  years,  is  active  in  mlnfl 
and  Body,  is  doubtless  the  oldest  settler  in  the  valley.    Igna- 
cio  Reyes  of  Reche  canyon,  born  at  Los  Angeles  in  1816,  is  a 
marvel  of  physical  activity  and  considers  it  as  little  of  a  hard- 
ship to  mount  his  horse  for  a  ride  to  Los  Angeles  as  he  did 
in  the  years  before  steam  had  lessened  the  distance  between 
the  Rancho  San  Bernardino,  and  ere  the  city  bearing  that 
name  had  been  founded.     His  wife  was  Francisco  Lugo,  a 
granddaughter  of  Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo.  Reyes  had  charge 
of  the  vaqueros  in  the  removal  of  cattle  from  the  rancho  after 
Its  purchase  by  the  Americans.     They  drove  11,000  head  of 
cattle  from  the  valley  at  one  time;  then  returned  and  drove  a 
herd  of  500  bulls  and  a  large  number  of  horses  to  the  San  An- 
tonio rancho  of  Don  Antonio.    He  is  a  remarkable  type  of  the 
old-time  Mexican,  and  sits  on  nis  horse  with  the  grace  and 
vigor  of  the  days  when  men  and  horses  were  inseparable  com- 
panions and  fighting  wild  Indians  or  wild  animals  their  daily 
task. 

Miguel  Bustamente  came  to  California  in  1849  and  settled 
in  Agua  Mansa  in  1852,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs 
of  the  colony  until,  mindful  of  advancing  years,  he  declined 
further  honors.  For  thirteen  years,  from  1867,  he  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace  of  San  Salvador  township.  He  was  first 
Postmaster  of  Agua  Mansa  and  a  school  trustee  and  road  su- 
pervisor for  many  years.  Though  physically  infirm  his  men- 
tality is  unimpaired  and  as  keen  and  brighl  as  in  the  days  of 
his  active  life. 

These  pioneers  serve  to  link  the  past  with  the  present; 
they  are  still  a  part  of  the  one  and  Had  their  share  in  making 
possible  the  other;  for  as  tomorrow  is  dependent  on  today,  so 
today  is  dependent  on  yesterday.  Each  generation  Has  its 
part  in  the  sum  of  the  whole;  each  must  bear  its  proportion 
in  the  making  of  history;  for  nations,  like  individuals,  are  de- 
pendent upon  each  other. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.         123 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
AMERICAN    COLONIZATION-THE    MORMON  PIONEERS. 

The  presence  ot  gold  in  California  was  known  to  the  pa- 
dres long  years  before  the  Americans  came  into  the  country. 
It  was  on  land  belonging  to  the  Mission  San  Fernando,  in  the 
Sierras  north  of  the  mission,  that  gold  was  first  discovered. 
But  it  was  on  the  19th  day  of  January,  1848,  that  the  great  dis- 
covery was  made.  Two  weeks  later  the  treaty  of  Guada- 
lupe  Hidalgo,  whereby  a  vast  territory  came  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  United  States,  was  signed.  California,  languid  in 
the  golden  sunshine,  awoke  from  eons  of  dreaming.  The 
pastoral  era  was  at  an  end. 

Then  it  was  the  name  of  California  echoed  and  re-echoed 
to  the  outermost  parts  of  the  civilized  world.  Men,  mad  with 
excitement,  fevered  with  the  wild  thirst  for  quickly  acquired 
riches,  rushed  through  the  gateways  of  the  mountains  and 
over  the  vast  expanse  of  ocean  to  the  new  "el  dorado,"  where 
gold  could  be  had  for  the  picking  up  Never  m  the  history 
of  the  world  had  there  been  such  an  excitement.  But  the 
Argonauts  cared  nothing  for  California.  They  saw  not  the 
glory  of  her  sunshine,  the  beauty  of  her  mountains,  the  fertil- 
ity of  her  valleys.  It  was  for  the  golden  treasure  hidden  in 
the  bosom  of  earth,  and  for  that  alone  they  came.  To  all 
the  rich  possibilities  of  the  marvelous  land  they  were  blind. 
The  story  is  old  and  worn  threadbare  in  telling.  The  years 
filled  with  excitement  and  terror,  the  bitterness  of  disappoint- 
ment and  the  heart-aches  have  left  their  record,  and  the  suc- 
cesses also.  In  the  history  of  the  golden  garnerings  of  the  few 


124         HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

the  woes  of  the  many  have  been  forgotten.  It  is  material 
success  in  life  which  appeals  strongest  to  men.  But  time,  al- 
ways kind,  has  soothed  the  wounds  and  smoothed  the  rough- 
ness the  years  wrought,  and  "the  days  of  gold,  the  days  of 
'49"  are  paged  in  the  annals  of  romantic  history  of  the  Gol- 
den State. 

San  Bernardino  Valley  was  far  removed  from  the  scene 
of  early  gold  excitement.  Now  and  then  tales  were  brought 
to  the  Mexican  settlers  herding  their  flocks  in  the  valley;  now 
and  then  some  of  the  young  men  would  wander  forth  to  find 
how  true  the  tale.  But,  as  a  rule,  the  Mexicans  of  the  valley 
were  not  disturbed  by  the  stories.  They  pursued  the  even 
tenor  of  existence,  content  with  the  life  they  lived,  and  hav- 
ing contentment  desired  naught  else — had  naught  else  to  gain. 

The  causes  which  led  to  the  colonization  of  San  Bernar- 
dino Valley  by  Americans  antedated  the  war  with  Mexico  and 
might  even  be  said  to  have  remote  origin  in  the  exodus  of 
the  Mormons  from  Nauvoo. 

The  dominating  minds,  or  mind,  which  governed  the  in- 
terests of  the  Mormon  people  fully  recognized  the  great  pos- 
sibilities of  the  whole  Western  Territory.  Mormon  mission- 
aries were  actively  engaged  in  the  work  of  proselyting,  not 
only  throughout  Europe,  but  in  Asia,  South  America,  Austra- 
lia and  the  Islands  of  the  Pacific.  They  were  numbering 
their  converts  by  hundreds.  Brigham  Young's  fondest  hope 
was  to  colonize  the  whole  Pacific  coast  and  to  extend  the  do- 
minion of  the  Mormon  church  even  to  the  City  of  Mexico  It 
was  another  dream  of  empire  with  Its  capitol  at  Salt  Lake 
City.  California  was  especially  desirable  and  important  to 
the  carrying  out  of  his  plan,  which  anticipated  the  planting 
of  colonies  of  immigrants  throughout  tEe  territory  and  tnese, 
forming  a  chain  of  settlements,  would  provide  resting  places 
for  "saints"  en  route  from  the  coast  to  Salt  Lake  City,  the 
Mecca  of  their  faith.  It  was  a  brilliant  conception,  well  wor- 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.         125 

thy  the  master-mind  that  conceived  it,  and  but  for  the  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  might  have  developed 
into  more  than  an  iridescent  dream. 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  the  war  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico  that  a  regiment  was  recruited  from  among 
the  Mormons  for  service  in  the  U.  S.  army.  This  regiment 
was  known  as  the  Mormon  Battalion.  After  their  return 
from  Mexico  they  were  quartered  for  some  time  in  Southern 
California  and  while  here  received  final  discharge  from  ser- 
vice. They  were  law-abiding,  God-fearing  men  and  gained 
the  respect  of  the  people  of  California.  Indeed,  the  citizens 
of  San  Diego  found  them  so  useful  and  desirable  as  neighbor* 
that  a  general  petition  was  circulated  and  signed  by  every 
inhabitant  of  the  town  requesting  them  to  make  a  permanent 
settlement  among  them,  and  many  of  them  remained  in  that 
part  of  California. 

Captain  Jefferson  Hunt  was  the  first  of  the  Mormons  to 
come  into  San  Bernardino  Valley  and  it  was  chiefly  through 
his  efforts  that  the  Mormons  colonized  here.  He  was  a  man 
of  more  than  average  energy  and  ability  and  whose  honesty 
and  integrity  of  character  was  unquestioned.  He  was  instru- 
mental in  organizing  the  Mormon  Battalion  and  was  commis- 
sioned Captain  of  Company  "A."  This  company  was  sta- 
tioned for  some  time  at  Los  Angeles,  an'd  while  there  Captain 
Hunt  became  acquainted  with  many  of  the  Spanish  rancheros 
and  made  it  a  point  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  whole  sur- 
rounding country.  After  the  regiment  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice, Captain  Hunt,  with  his  two  sons,  went  into  theh  north- 
ern part  of  the  State  to  the  gold  mines.  He  returned  to  Salt 
Loke  Cityy  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  by  the  Humboldt  route 
which  was  then  only  a  trail  between  Utah  and  California.  In 
the  spring  of  1850  he  made  a  trip  to  California,  coming 
through  by  way  of  Southern  Utah,  the  Mojave  Desert  and 
Cajon  Pass,  the  first  white  man  to  enter  California  by  this 


126         HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

route,  which  was  afterwards  known  as  the  Mormon  Trail,  or 
southern  route  to  California.  He  stopped  in  San  Bernardino 
Valley  and  purchased  300  nead  of  cattle  and  150  horses  of  the 
Lugos,  and  packing  the  latter  with  provisions,  which  he  pur- 
chased of  Rowland  and  Workman,  he  engaged  20  Indian  va- 
queros  to  take  care  »f  the  stock  and  returned  over  the  same 
route  to  Utah. 

In  1850  Caplain  Hunt  engaged  to  pilot  a  party  of  emi- 
grants, en  route  to  Sutter's  Fort,  as  far  as  San  Bernardino 
Valley.  After  they  were  well  on  their  way  some  dissention 
as  to  the  advisability  of  the  route  chosen  caused  a  division  of 
the  party,  the  dissenting  members  taking  an  old  Spanish  trail 
which  they  believed  was  a  more  direct  route  to  their  destin- 
ation. This  was  the  party  of  emigrants  who  met  so  tragic 
a  fate  in  Death  Valley.  Those  under  Captain  Hunt  reached 
their  destination  with  no  mishap  other  than  incident  to  over- 
land travel  of  the  time.  Returning  to  Salt  Lake  City  Captain 
Hunt  began  agitating  the  question  of  the  formation  of  a  col- 
ony of  Mormons  to  locate  in  San  Bernardino  Valley.  This 
coincided  with  the  plans  of  Brigham  Young,  who  encouraged 
the  move  and  used  his  influence  in  furtherence  of  the  plan. 

In  March,  1851,  a  large  party  of  emigrants,  consisting  of 
about  500  persons,  with  cattle,  horses,  etc.,  left  Salt  Lake  for 
San  Bernardino  Valley.  This  train  was  under  command  of 
Captain  Hunt  who  was  to  take  the  lead  and  pilot  them 
through  to  their  destination.  As  it  was  impossible  for  them 
to  travel  as  one  company,  on  account  of  scarcity  of  forage  and 
water  in  crossing  the  desert,  the  train  was  divided  into  three 
sections.  The  first  section,  under  Captain  Hunt,  came  into 
San  Bernardino  Valley  and  encamped  at  Sycamore  Grove,  at 
the  mouth  of  Cajon  Pass,  on  St.  John's  day,  the  24th  of  June, 
1851. 

Amasa  Lyman  and  Charles  C.  Rich,  two  of  the  original 
Twelve  Apostles  of  Brigham  Young,  were  with  this  party  of 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY .        127 

colonists.  They  at  once  opened  negotiations  with  the  Lugos 
for  the  purchase  of  the  Rancho  de  San  Bernardino.  During 
the  summer  the  transfer  was  effected  and  they  took  posses- 
sion of  the  property.  The  purchase  price  was  $7,500.00.  The 
colonists  did  not  have  the  money  to  pay  for  the  property  and 
Elders  Lyman  and  Rich,  with  Captain  Hunt  as  agent,  went  to 
San  Francisco,  where  they  negotiated  a  loan  for  the  amount. 
The  money  was  borrowed  of  Haywood  and  Morley  and  was 
paid  in  three  installments. 

It  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  chapter  to  criticize  or 
discuss  doctrinal  points,  tenets  of  failh  or  the  circumstances 
which  brought  the  Mormon  church  into  conflict  with  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States.      It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the 
Mormons  who  first  came  to  San  Bernardino  Valley  were  ideal 
colonists.      They  were  farmers,  mechanics  and  artizans  of  the 
various  crafts.       So  far  as  material  advantages  went  there 
was  perfect  equality.      There  was  no  wealth  and  no  poverty 
among  them.      The  system  upon  which  the  government  of  the 
Mormon  church  was  based  was  purely  patriarchial  and  it  was 
carried  out  in  the  religious,  domestic  and  social  life  of  the 
Morhon  people.  They  were  the  extreme  of  conservatives,  and 
sufficient  unto  themselves  did  not  desire  or  tolerate  outside  in- 
fluence or  interference.      As  a  community  they  were  honest, 
industrious,   law-abiding,   peaceful   citizens,   and   under  their 
thrifty  management  the  beautiful  valley  blossomed  into  mar- 
velous productiveness.       The  church  laws  were  sufficient  to 
regulate  all  public  matters  until  state  laws  were  established. 
All  minor  dissensions  among  themselve  s  were  carried  into 
the  church  council  and  there  submitted  to  arbitration.      There 
was  no  appeal  to  other  tribunal.      Their  moral  conduct  was 
beyond  reproach.      Idleness,  drunkenness,  gambling  and  vice 
was  unknown  among  them  until  a   later   day   wften   another 
class  of  people  came  to  mingle  with  them. 


128          HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY. 

Such  were  the  people  who  colonized  San  Bernardino  Val- 
ley. Let  credit  and  honor  be  given  where  credit  and  honor 
are  due. 

When  the  colonists  came  into  the  valley  there  was  a 
rancheria  of  about  500  Cohuilla  Indians,  under  Chief  Juan 
Antonio,  near  the  old  mission.  During  the  summer  Indians 
from  Potrero  came  in  and  together  they  committed  some  dep- 
redations and  in  a  few  instances  drove  the  settlers  on  the  out- 
skirts into  the  camp.  Anticipating  further  disturbance  it 
was  decided  to  build  a  stockade  fort.  This  fort  was  located 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  block  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets 
and  C  and  D  streets.  Houses  for  the  settlers  were  construc- 
ted inside  the  palisades  which  furnished  a  good  protection. 
Most  of  the  settlers  moved  into  the  fort,  only  a  few  families 
remaining  outside.  Though  the  Indians  quieted  down  with- 
out any  serious  disturbance  many  of  the  colonists  continued 
to  reside  in  the  fort,  which  they  occupied  for  about  Tour  years, 
when  it  was  demolished. 

Bishop  Tinney  was  the  first  to  occupy  the  old  mission. 
The  mission  building  was  used  as  a  tithing  house.  Charles 
C.  Rich  occupied  an  adobe  house  on  the  site  of  the  homestead 
property  of  Joseph  Brown,  on  E  street.  Captain  Hunt  was 
President  of  the  High  Council  of  the  Mormon  Church  of  San 
Bernardino. 

In  T855  San  Bernardino  Valley  was  a  part  of  Los  Ange- 
les county.  Captain  Hunt  was  one  of  the  two  representatives 
of  the  county  in  the  State  Legislature.  In  1853  he  presented 
a  petition  to  that  body  asking  the  segregation  of  a  portion  o* 
the  county,  the  part  set  aside  to  be  known  as  San  Bernardino 
county.  An  Act  was  passed  and  approved  April  26,  1853  au- 
thorizing the  segregation  and  providing  for  an  election  to  lo- 
cate a  county  seat.  Isaac  Williams,  David  Seeley,  H.  G. 
Sherwood  and  John  Brown  wer«  appointed  commissioners  to 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY.          129 

designate  election  precincts  and  to  appoint  inspectors  of  elec- 
tion. At  this  election  the  iuwn  of  San  Bernardino  was  cho- 
sen county  seat  of  the  new  county.  In  the  first  years  of  the 
settlement  the  town  was  commonly  known  as  "The  Camp- 
and  to  the  Mexicans  as  "El  Campo  de  los  Hormones."  Old 
San  Bernardino  was  called  San  Bernardino,  or  Cottonwood 
Row,  taking  the  name  from  the  rows  of  cottonwood  trees  bor- 
dering the  mission  zanja. 

During  the  first  two  or  three  years  the  land  was  used  as  a 
whole  by  the  community.  Each  settler  was  allotted  the  am- 
ount of  land  he  wished  to  cultivate,  and  planted  whatever  he 
desired.  After  the  county  was  established  and  the  town  plat- 
ted the  land  was  surveyed,  subdivided  into  tracts  and  sold  to 
individual  purchasers. 

The  town  plat  of  San  Bernardino  was  filed  for  record  at 
the  request  of  Amasa  Lyman  and  Charles  C.  Rich,  on  July  20 
1854,  R.  R.  Hopkins,  Recorder.  The  streets  were  laid  oui 
due  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  and  numbered  as  they 
stand  at  present,  but  the  lettering  of  the  streets  is  of  more 
recent  date.  On  the  original  plat  A  street  was  Kirtland 
street,  B  street  Camel  street,  C  street  Grafton  street,  D  street 
Salt  Lake  street,  E  street  Utah  street,  F  street  California 
street,  G  street  Nauvoo  street,  H  street  Independence  street, 
I  street  Far  West  street. 

The  town  was  controlled  by  the  Mormons  until  1857  when 
Brigham  Young,  desJring  to  centralize  the  church  interests 
in  Utah,  Issued  the  recall  to  Zion.  Many  obeyed  the  mandate 
and  sacrificed  their  property  to  do  so;  others  elected  to  abide 
in  the  land  they  had  colonized. 

Thus  was  founded  the  Imperial  county  of  the  United 
States.  Its  history  since  that  dale  has  been  varied.  Though 
far  removed  from  the  scene  of  civil  strife  the  citizens,  keenly 
alive  to  all  the  issues  at  stake,  were  agitated  with  the  momen- 
tous question  of  loyalty  or  secession  until  internecine  war 


130         HISTORY  OF  SAN  BERNARDINO  VALLEY . 

threatened  to  develop.  The  city  of  San  Bernardino  nas  Known 
its  reign  of  terror  and  lawlessness  incident  to  frontier  towns 
of  the  far  west;  but  the  better  element  prevailed  and  from 
disorder  came  peace  and  prosperity.  It  has  had  its  periods  of 
depression  and  its  periods  of  prosperity;  but  always  looking 
to  the  future  it  has  ever  kept  abreast  with  the  chariot  of  pro- 
gress. 

What  the  future  may  have  in  store  for  the  beautiful  val- 
ley no  man  may  know,  for  no  man  can  know  the  scheme  of 
human  destiny.  Sublimely  grand  and  ever  watchful  towei 
the  mountain  peaks  of  San  Bernardino,  San  Gorgonio  and  San 
Jacinto,  "Sentinels  of  the  Valley,"  where  grim  and  silent  as 
now  they  saw  it  emerge  from  the  primeval  ocean;  saw  it  lie 
for  centuries  desolate  and  barren  of  life  saw  It  gradually  em- 
erge from  its  desolation  until,  reveling  in  a  wilderness  of  ver- 
dure, it  laughed  up  to  the  cloudless  skies  as  thougn  Intoxica- 
ted with  the  exuberance  of  living.  Civilized  man  followed 
savage  man  and  harnessed  Nature  to  the  plough  of  his  needs. 
From  the  tangled  wilderness  of  untamed  beauty  He  developed 
an  earthly  paradise,  for  here  Nature  and  Art  comt)lned  touch 
perfection.  And  the  work  of  man  in  the  valley  is  within  the 
memory  of  men  still  living.  They  have  cultivated  the  land 
until  it  teems  with  blossom  and  fruitage;  the>  nave  doited  the 
valley  with  thriving  cities  and  villages.  The  mountains,  pa- 
tient and  silent  can  afford  to  wait  for  they  know  the  possi- 
bilities of  Time;  but  man,  ever  conscious  of  the  briefness  of 
his  day,  grows  impatient,  and  looks  toward  the  ever  elusive 
Future  for  the  fruition  of  his  Happiness. 

But  here  Contentment  should  reign,  for  they  who  dwell 
within  the  shadow  of  her  mountains,  beneath  the  sunlight  of 
her  skies  can  say  in  truth,  there  is  no  fairer  spot  on  earth 
than  San  Bernardlino  Valley. 

"Finis  coronat  opus" 

"Los  bons  tails  no  se  los  menjan  los  dropus." 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


WSCHARGE-URC 

DEC    21379 


' 


7  1980 


13 


19 


KEC'D  LD-URt, 


m 

Z4,M 


SEP251987 


MOV  031987 
H  JAN  1  7  1989 
MAY    11989 


ACNOV03  1997 
' 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

AT 

LOS  ANGELES 
LIBRARY 


3  1158  00124  6346 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILIT 

AA     001  335  569       8 


